By James Agbor, BaretaNews Political Analyst October 27, 2025
In a nation long suffocated by the iron grip of Paul Biya’s regime, a voice has risen from the ashes of yesterday’s bloodshed—a voice that honours the fallen while igniting the flames of resistance. This morning, opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the self-proclaimed victor of the October 12 presidential election, took to his Facebook account with a statement that resonates like a battle cry across Cameroun. As the Constitutional Council prepares to announce official results amid widespread allegations of fraud, Tchiroma’s words serve as both a eulogy for the martyrs of democracy and a rallying call for the people to reclaim their stolen mandate.
Tchiroma’s message, posted amid reports of at least four deaths during Sunday’s nationwide protests in cities like Douala and Garoua, cuts through the regime’s veil of repression with unflinching clarity:
“I want to pay a great tribute to those who fell to the bullets of a regime that has become criminal, during a peaceful march in which the people turned out en masse to exercise a universal right. Thank you for coming out in such large numbers, Cameroonian people — this time they won’t be able to stop us. We demand, without delay, that they stop these acts of barbarity: these killings and arbitrary arrests. Must our country be set aflame and drenched in blood just so you can cling to power? Tell the truth of the ballots, or we will all mobilize and march peacefully toward Etoudi to ensure the will of the people is respected.”
These are not mere words; they are a indictment of a 43-year dictatorship that has transformed Cameroon into a graveyard of dreams. Tchiroma, a former insider turned fierce adversary, speaks from the heart of the storm. His claims of securing 54.8% of the vote against Biya’s 31.3% have electrified a populace weary of corruption, poverty, and marginalization—particularly in the Anglophone regions where the cry for justice echoes the ongoing struggle for Ambazonian independence.
The protests that erupted on October 26, defying government bans, saw hundreds storming the streets in a display of raw determination. In Douala, the economic hub, security forces unleashed tear gas and live ammunition on unarmed demonstrators, leaving bodies in the dust and over 100 arrested. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of chaos: motorcycles weaving through smoke-filled avenues, youths chanting for change, and riot police advancing like shadows of oppression. One protester in Garoua, Tchiroma’s stronghold, told reporters, “We are making a peaceful march, which is a civil right for all Cameroonians”.
The violence is no accident; it’s the regime’s desperate playbook unfolding. As Tchiroma exposes in his statement, Biya’s hold on power demands blood to sustain it. Reports from across the nation—Maroua, Bertoua, Ngaoundéré—paint a picture of a country on the brink. In the Far North, young people left handwritten pleas at government offices, decrying poverty and exclusion: “All the citizens voted for Issa [Tchiroma], but the government wants to rig it”. Even in the Anglophone West, where Biya is seen as the architect of marginalization, Tchiroma’s call has found unlikely allies, amplifying the broader fight against Yaoundé’s tyranny.
Tchiroma’s tribute is more than mourning—it’s mobilization. By invoking the march to Etoudi, the presidential palace, he draws a line in the sand: either reveal the true ballots, or face the unified will of a people who have had enough. This echoes historical uprisings in Cameroon—1990, 1992, 2008, 2016-2018—where protests were met with brutality, yet the spirit of resistance endured. Today, as the Council convenes, the stakes could not be higher. Will Biya’s apparatus declare him winner, igniting further unrest? Or will the people’s voice prevail?
For Ambazonians and all freedom-loving Cameroonians, Tchiroma’s words offer a glimmer of hope amid the darkness. They remind us that tyranny thrives on silence, but crumbles under the weight of collective action. As one X post poignantly stated, “Parents, please call your children back home. It’s not worth it”—but is it? When a regime drenches its soil in blood to cling to power, the worth is in the fight itself.
The time for half-measures is over. Cameroon stands at a crossroads: submission or sovereignty. Tchiroma has lit the fuse—now, the people must carry the torch to Etoudi. The martyrs demand it. The future requires it. BaretaNews stands with the oppressed, calling for international scrutiny and an end to Biya’s reign of terror. The ballots must speak, or the streets will roar.
