Cameroonian opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary has fled to The Gambia following the highly contested 12 October presidential election that saw veteran ruler Paul Biya return to power. The Gambian government confirmed on Sunday that it is hosting Tchiroma “temporarily … purely on humanitarian grounds” to ensure his safety as post‑election tensions simmer. 

According to a statement from Gambia’s Ministry of Information, Tchiroma arrived in the country on 7 November. The statement, shared on the Facebook page of Gambian President Adama Barrow, said The Gambia is working with regional partners, notably Nigeria, to support a peaceful and negotiated outcome in Cameroon. 

According to Al Jazeera, Tchiroma, who heads the Cameroon National Salvation Front, strongly rejected the official election results, insisting that vote-rigging occurred. He stated that “this is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful.” 

Following the announcement, Tchiroma called on his supporters to carry out “dead city” operations a strategy of closing shops and ceasing normal public activity to protest the results. 

Back home, officials in Cameroon have threatened legal action. The government says it plans to charge Tchiroma for repeated calls for insurrection amid unrest that has gripped parts of the country. 

The presidential vote was officially won by President Paul Biya, who secured 53.7 per cent of the vote compared to Tchiroma’s reported 35.2 per cent. Biya, who is 92 years old, has ruled Cameroon for more than four decades, following a constitutional amendment that removed term limits. 

The fallout has been deadly. Protests erupted across key cities, including Douala, Maroua and Garoua. While the Cameroonian government admits around 16 people may have died, opposition groups and civil society organisations claim the death toll could be much higher, potentially exceeding 55. 

Tchiroma’s spokesman, Alice Nkom, publicly confirmed his presence in Gambia and reiterated his call for political change in Cameroon as reported by The Washington Post.