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The nation's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji has announced that political opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over allegations that he incited "violent electoral rallies".

A minimum of 4 protesters have been killed during skirmishes between law enforcement and protesters since Cameroon's election on October 12, with President Paul Biya, aged 92 winning an eighth consecutive term.

Issa Tchiroma insists that he was the true winner, a claim dismissed by the governing party, the CPDM.

Violent crackdowns by police and security officers on demonstrators have worried the international community, with the United Nations, AU and European Union urging moderation.

Minister's Allegations

On Tuesday, the interior minister accused Tchiroma Bakary of organising what he labeled "unauthorized" rallies leading to the loss of lives, and also criticised him for announcing success in the presidential race.

He further stated that the opposition leader's "co-conspirators responsible for an insurrectionary plan" will also be prosecuted.

Vote Outcome

Paul Biya, who took control in the early 80s and is now the most elderly national leader, won the October 12 presidential election with a majority of the votes, compared to a significant minority for his opponent, according to the constitutional court.

Opposition Response

The opposition figure is has not yet commented to the authorities' move to bring him to court, but he had before declared that he refused to acknowledge a rigged election - and that he was undaunted of being arrested.

On election result day, he claimed that security forces used lethal force on protesters present near his house in the city of Garoua, fatally wounding at least 2 people.

Investigation Revealed

On Tuesday, the interior minister announced that an inquiry would be launched into unrest before and after the declaration of the vote outcome.

"During these attacks, some of the criminals were killed," he stated, without providing a specific number of protesters who have been lost their lives in the incidents.

The minister noted that several officers of the security forces also suffered significant wounds.

Current Situation

Even though Nji asserted the condition nationwide was now manageable, protesters remain active in certain regions of the country, especially in these two cities, where demonstrators mounted roadblocks on that day, and ignited rubber on the thoroughfares.

Observers warn that the political turmoil could plunge the nation into a leadership vacuum.