Cameroon

Politics | Human rights

Politics | Human rights

Police easily cracks down Cameroon protests

Gendarmes in Yaoundé's Independence Square this morning © Edouard Tamba/afrol News

Cameroon's nation-wide anti-government protests started modestly today, with calls for President Paul Biya to step down. But protesters in Douala and Yaoundé were outnumbered by police.

Since the food price riots in 2008, 23 February has been the day in the year discontent Cameroonians take to the streets; mostly being quickly dispersed by the police.



This year was to be different, according to the hopes and aspirations of the organisers of the protests. This year, they had announced during the last few weeks, 23 February would be the start of Cameroon's Egypt-like revolt.



Reports from Cameroon today - both by the protesters and the media - however indicate that the anticipated anti-government riot rather has been a bleak repetition of the minor 23 February protests during the last years.



The reason may have been that Cameroonian authorities were on a high alert over possible riots, with Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary yesterday telling the local press that organisers of the protests wanted "to destroy this nation."



Consequently, Cameroon's two major cities this morning were filled up with riot police. In Douala, the country's largest city located at the coast, large groups of uniformed police and soldiers lined up at central squares, roads and in the central Akwa neighbourhood. Vehicles entering the city were stopped and checked by police.



In the capital Yaoundé, armed police and gendarmes in somewhat smaller groups controlled major access roads, government buildings and the central Independence Square. The troops were monitoring any unforeseen gathering of people that could form the nucleus of a protest, immediately asking groups of people to spread.



Protesters found a difficult environment. From around noon, there were increasing reports of minor protest groups in Douala and Yaoundé, which however quickly were dispersed by police, before being able to organise any large crowd.



A gathering of protesters in Douala's Akwa neighbourhood was dispersed.

Military unit in central Douala monitoring possible protests © Anonymous/afrol News

By staff writers

© afrol News

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