Rights groups dispute Cameroon's death toll from postelection protests and claim at least 30 killed

Rights groups successful Cameroon quality the government’s decease toll of 16 during protests implicit President Paul Biya’s predetermination triumph past month

YAOUNDE, Cameroon -- Rights groups successful Cameroon disputed Thursday the government's decease toll of 16 killed during protests implicit the election triumph of President Paul Biya past month, claiming the existent fig is astir double.

Philippe Nanga, coordinator of the rights radical A World for the Future, told The Associated Press the authoritative toll is an undercount and expressed interest astir the difficulties successful accessing the corpses.

“About 30 radical were killed and immoderate corpses were removed from infirmary morgues by information forces and their whereabouts stay unknown,” Nanga said.

Cameroon's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji had said Wednesday that information forces killed 13 protesters successful the economical hub of Douala, and 3 others successful the North Region. It was the government’s archetypal authoritative remark connected the decease toll since the unrest began.

Nji besides said implicit 800 arrests were made.

Opposition figures estimation the decease toll astatine 55, according to a Human Rights Watch study published Wednesday.

“The convulsive crackdown connected protesters and mean citizens crossed Cameroon lays bare a deepening signifier of repression that casts a acheronian unreality implicit the election” Ilaria Allegrozzi, elder Africa researcher astatine Human Rights Watch, said successful the report.

“The authorities should instantly rein in, analyse and prosecute liable information forces, and each governmental leaders should telephone connected their supporters to cull violence,” she wrote successful the report.

The protests erupted successful cardinal absorption strongholds, including Douala and successful bluish cities similar Maroua and Garoua, aft the results of the Oct. 12 statesmanlike predetermination were announced.

Paul Biya, 92, who is the world’s oldest president, won the ballot and secured his eighth term, according to authoritative results, which were contested by the opposition, including statesmanlike rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claims to person won the predetermination and has called connected Cameroonians to cull the authoritative result.

Biya has been successful powerfulness since 1982, astir fractional his lifetime, making him Cameroon’s 2nd president since independency from France successful 1960.

He is seldom seen successful nationalist and critics accidental his capableness to govern has been severely constricted by his age.

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