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Cameroon's president, the world's oldest head of state, won another term in office this week despite independent tallies suggesting he may have lost. By the end of this seven-year term, he will be almost 100 years old and will have governed for half a century. This in a country where the median age is 19. The disputed results have plunged the country into turmoil, as NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Felsad (ph) visited some public institutions...
EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE: On the surface, it's business as usual in Cameroon.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Offices at the ministry of...
AKINWOTU: Listening to state-controlled radio on a drive through Douala, the airways are replete with stories of businesses opening again, the streets filling with activity after the unrest that followed President Paul Biya's election victory. But that narrative doesn't match the reality.
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AKINWOTU: Rows of stores are shuttered, most of the businesses closed. Road after road is charred black and barricaded by burnt tires that only motorbikes can weave through. Soldiers stand guard at several fuel stations, stores and banks that have been destroyed by riots in the last few days. In the car lot of one company, all the vehicles have been burnt to a crisp.
A heavy police presence in Douala has subdued most of the unrest. Armored police and military vehicles patrol the streets, but most of the city, like much of the Central African country, is on edge. Ninety-two-year-old President Paul Biya has been in power since 1982, and this week, nothing changed.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking French).
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AKINWOTU: But while the result this time was familiar, the strength of anger was different.
UNIDENTIFIED DEMONSTRATORS: (Chanting in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: Demonstrations are rare in Cameroon but broke out in several towns and cities, with many voters insisting the opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, won. On Thursday, the U.N. said it was alarmed by reports that several people had been killed and called on security forces to stop using lethal force. But the violence has been widespread, and even those who weren't involved have been caught in the crossfire.
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AKINWOTU: We drive to a suburb of Douala where the protests have been intense - both ends of each road blocked by wooden benches and furniture. A young man on the street wouldn't give his name for fear of being targeted by police.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking French).
AKINWOTU: He says just that morning, an unarmed man went out to buy food for his family. After saying something to a police officer, he was shot dead.
Opposition leader Tchiroma has called for more demonstrations...
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ISSA TCHIROMA BAKARY: (Speaking French).
AKINWOTU: ...And for shows of resistance to, quote, "protect the true result." But he's now in hiding, with the government seeking to shut down all outcry against the result.
Philippe Nanga heads a human rights organization in Cameroon.
PHILIPPE NANGA: (Speaking French).
AKINWOTU: He says the situation in the country, where most of the population have only known one leader, was untenable. Africa is the world's youngest continent, and young populations are increasingly at odds with aging leaders with questionable legitimacy. But he said the situation in Cameroon is exceptionally bad.
NANGA: (Speaking French).
AKINWOTU: And he said the protests show people are no longer willing to be cowed by repression.
NANGA: (Speaking French).
AKINWOTU: Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Douala.
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