Cameroon protests after disputed election as council ruling nears

Supporters of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary took to the streets across Cameroon this week to protest what they described as widespread fraud in the October 12 presidential election, prompting security forces to intervene in multiple cities as the country awaits a final ruling by the Constitutional Council later this week. Demonstrations were reported in the capital Yaoundé, the commercial hub Douala, and the northern city of Garoua, where thousands defied local warnings to press for the release of what they say are the true results of the vote.

Authorities used tear gas, water cannon and other crowd-control measures to disperse demonstrators, officials and witnesses said. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji announced that more than 20 people had been detained in Garoua; some detainees are expected to face military trial on charges related to inciting violence and public disorder, officials said. In Douala, witnesses and opposition campaigners alleged that security forces used live ammunition and that several people were shot and taken to hospitals. Opposition groups gave differing counts of fatalities; those figures have not been independently verified and government...