Gambiaj.com – (PARIS, France) – From his exile in Banjul, prominent Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has taken his fight against the government of President Paul Biya to the French judiciary, filing two formal complaints before the Paris Civil Court and thrusting The Gambia into the spotlight of an unfolding international human rights drama.
Tchiroma, who styles himself the “elected President of the Republic of Cameroon,” announced the legal action in a communiqué released Friday evening, invoking the principle of universal jurisdiction, a legal doctrine that allows national courts to prosecute serious human rights violations regardless of where they occurred or the nationality of those involved.
The complaints, according to his statement, seek to hold accountable those responsible for what he describes as murders, arbitrary detentions, and a broad range of human rights abuses committed in the turbulent aftermath of Cameroon’s presidential election of October 12, 2025.
A Disputed Election and a Country in Turmoil
Tchiroma, a former Cameroonian minister who crossed the aisle into opposition, emerged as a galvanizing figure among Cameroon’s restless youth in the lead-up to last year’s presidential poll. Despite official results declaring the incumbent Paul Biya, who has held power since 1982, the winner, Tchiroma declared himself victor of the election and repeatedly called on his supporters to defend what he termed his “stolen mandate.”
The calls triggered protests across Cameroon’s major cities. Security forces moved to suppress those demonstrations, and by Tchiroma’s account, the crackdown was brutal and deadly.
Now, conducting business from The Gambia, a country that has itself lived through the shadows of authoritarian repression under former President Yahya Jammeh and is now widely regarded as a symbol of democratic renewal, Tchiroma is using international legal mechanisms to seek justice he says is impossible to obtain at home.
Months of Evidence-Gathering Behind the Complaints
The legal filings are not the impulsive act of a desperate exile. According to the communiqué, the complaints are the product of a meticulous investigation conducted since October 2025, with the involvement of lawyers, civil society actors, and individuals presented as witnesses or direct victims of the post-election violence.
Tchiroma alleges that several thousand Cameroonians are currently held in prisons across the country under conditions he describes as “illegal” and fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights standards. He further alleges deaths in custody, violence during law enforcement operations, and cases of inhumane or degrading treatment.
Among the most poignant elements cited in the communiqué are the deaths of Anicet Ekane and Souleyman Tobi, both of whom died in prison and are presented as emblematic victims of the alleged repression.
“Where Cameroonian justice, subservient to the usurping regime and therefore ‘under orders,’ would necessarily have failed, international justice will hear the victims,” Tchiroma declared in his statement, adding that a previous attempt to file a complaint inside Cameroon was met with deliberate obstruction.
Senior Cameroon Officials Named in the Complaints
In a significant escalation, the communiqué is accompanied by a list of political, administrative, police, and military figures cited in one of the complaints.
The list includes some of the most powerful names in the Cameroonian state, among them President Paul Biya himself, Secretary-General of the Presidency Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji, and the Minister Delegate to the Presidency in charge of defense, Joseph Beti Assomo, alongside several other senior officials.
As of Saturday afternoon, none of the named individuals or Cameroonian authorities had issued any public response to the filing.
Banjul as a Base for International Justice
The significance of Banjul as the place from which Tchiroma is waging this legal battle will not be lost on observers.
The Gambia, a small West African nation that once endured decades of repression, has in recent years positioned itself as an advocate for international human rights accountability, most notably by initiating proceedings against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice over the treatment of the Rohingya people.
That Tchiroma has chosen The Gambia as his sanctuary to pursue a similar path of international legal redress adds a layer of symbolic weight to this story.
Tchiroma indicated that the Paris filing is only a first step. He signaled his intention to extend the legal proceedings to other competent international mechanisms dealing with human rights violations and arbitrary detention, suggesting that the battle over Cameroon’s October 2025 election is far from over.
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