Cameroonians went to the polls earlier this month in national elections, and on October 27th, a constitutional commission packed with loyalists confirmed that 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya had won an eighth consecutive term in office.
If he serves out his term, Biya will be 99 years old. And if past is precedent, he’ll just rig another election and rule until he’s 106. That may sound absurd, but when I first visited Cameroon 15 years ago, it would have seemed incredible that a ruler who first came to power in 1982 would still be in charge in 2025. Yet here we are.
After 43 years in office, Cameroonians are used to the electoral shenanigans that have kept Biya in power. But this time, things feel different, according to my guest today, Tony Vinyoh. He’s a Cameroonian writer who spoke to me from an undisclosed location in Cameroon. There are protests underway throughout the country, and people are being detained by security forces for questioning the official election results (hence the need for this security protocol.)
We kick off discussing the volatile political situation in Cameroon right now, with two politicians claiming victory. Tony Vinyoh then explains why the prevailing mood in the country is profoundly different compared to the aftermath of previous (rigged) elections. He lays out where the unrest is headed and why Cameroonians are clamoring for outside mediation.
We recorded this conversation live, and it will be freely available across all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Our recorded livestream is immediately available for all.
I must say, this episode is a perfect example of what I’ve been doing with this show for so many years: highlighting major stories from parts of the world that rarely receive in-depth coverage from Western media — and bringing you voices from those places to explain what’s really happening. This is Global Dispatches at its best.
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