Forced searches in Cameroon capital ahead of protest

Major junctions in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, have been occupied by security forces carrying out searches in taxis, buses and private cars ahead of an opposition protest planned for next week.

The Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) is demanding institutional reforms and the return of peace to the country's troubled Anglophone regions.

Security officials declined to make any public statements but the country's minister of territorial administration, Paul Atanga Nji, had suggested that the security forces will be deployed to quell any demonstrations that threaten the peace and unity of the country.

"I want to sound a stern warning to unscrupulous politicians looking for cheap popularity with a hidden agenda that they will face the law in case of any public disorder. Administrative authorities have been instructed to take necessary measures to maintain law and order," Mr Nji said at a press conference earlier this week.

CRM leader Maurice Kamto maintains he was the rightful winner of the 2018 presidential election.

Civil society groups, the CRM, and a number of opposition parties have threatened that unless the 22 September protest is met with political reform, they will demonstrate until President Paul Biya's government is forced from power and a political transition is made.