By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Cameroon’s self-proclaimed President-elect, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has declared Friday a National Day of Mourning in honour of civilians killed during protests that trailed the country’s disputed presidential election.
In a nationwide broadcast aired Wednesday night, Tchiroma ordered a complete shutdown across Cameroon, directing businesses, government offices and public institutions to suspend operations for the day.
He said the nationwide standstill was not only a tribute to those killed but also a symbolic act of resistance against what he labelled an “illegitimate regime” clinging to power.
“They fell so that the truth may live. They were Cameroonians. They were our martyrs,” he said, insisting that the victims paid the ultimate price for defending democracy.
Tchiroma instructed citizens at home and abroad to observe a one-minute silence at noon on Friday, describing it as a moment for collective reflection and national solidarity.
He further urged religious institutions churches, mosques and temples to hold special prayer services for those who lost their lives during the post-election unrest.
“This will not be an ordinary day. It will be a day of silence, of memory, of collection. It will be an act of resistance,” he declared.
Tchiroma also announced plans to set up a victims’ support fund to assist families of the deceased and those still held in detention, adding that details would be released later.
He criticised the government for refusing to release political detainees despite his earlier 48-hour ultimatum, dismissing the reported freedom of a few minors as a “masquerade.”
According to him, many citizens remain in custody and arrests “continue unabated,” a situation he described as unacceptable and emblematic of state repression.
In his strongest confrontation yet with what he calls the ‘outgoing’ administration of President Paul Biya, Tchiroma vowed never to negotiate or back down, insisting he intends to defend what he believes is a clear mandate from the Cameroonian people.