Simh, who is also vice president of Kamto’s Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) party, said 28 of Kamto’s supporters were also charged. Kamto has said he was the rightful winner of presidential elections, which were won by the West African country’s veteran leader Paul Biya. MRC supporters turned out in several towns and cities on January 26 to dispute the official election result. ‘Escalating crackdown’The European Union earlier this month condemned Cameroon for the “disproportionate use of force” in dispersing the protests. Amnesty International warned the arrest of Kamto and his staff “signals an escalating crackdown on opposition leaders, human rights defenders and activists in Cameroon”.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2019 14:37 UTC