Cameroon’s presidential race officially began over the week-end, with 12 candidates, including one woman, competing for the nation’s top office.
The two-week campaign will culminate in the 12 October presidential election. Incumbent President Paul Biya, who has ruled for 43 years, is seeking another seven-year term under the banner of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement. Among the key challengers are Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari, both former ministers and ex-allies of Biya. Joshua Osih, representing the main opposition Social Democratic Front, launched his campaign in Bamenda, the capital of the English-speaking Northwest Region, which has been gripped by separatist violence since 2017.
The election campaign is unfolding against a tense backdrop in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions, where separatist fighters have declared a **month-long lockdown** in a bid to derail the vote. The conflict, rooted in long-standing grievances of marginalisation, has led to severe instability and violence in recent years. Campaign posters of Biya have already appeared prominently across Yaoundé and other major cities, signalling a heated race as the country approaches a pivotal election.