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Cameroon's Minister of the Interior Paul Atanga Nji has stated that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over claims that he instigated "aggressive election protests".

A minimum of 4 demonstrators have been killed during confrontations between police and military and opposition supporters since Cameroon's election on 12 October, with the 92-year-old head of state obtaining an eighth consecutive term.

The opposition leader maintains that he won the election, a claim disputed by the incumbent party, the CPDM.

Violent crackdowns by police and security officers on demonstrators have worried the world leaders, with the UN, African Union and EU urging moderation.

Official's Allegations

On Tuesday, the interior minister charged the opposition figure of organising what he referred to as "unauthorized" protests leading to the loss of lives, and also criticised him for announcing success in the electoral contest.

He noted that the opposition leader's "accomplices responsible for an insurrectionary plan" will also be prosecuted.

Vote Outcome

The president, who assumed office in 1982 and is now the world's oldest head of state, secured the 12 October presidential election with over half of the ballots, compared to just over a third for his opponent, according to Cameroon's Constitutional Council.

Opposition Response

Tchiroma Bakary is yet to respond to the authorities' move to prosecute him, but he had before stated that he refused to acknowledge a fraudulent outcome - and that he was fearless of being detained.

Following the vote count, he reported that gunmen used lethal force on demonstrators gathered near his residence in Garoua, killing at least 2 people.

Probe Revealed

On Tuesday, the interior minister announced that an probe would be launched into clashes prior to and following the declaration of the poll figures.

"In the course of these incidents, some of the individuals involved lost their lives," he commented, without giving a precise figure of protesters who have been lost their lives in the confrontations.

Nji noted that several personnel of the law enforcement also sustained serious injuries.

Current Situation

Although the interior minister insisted the state of affairs nationwide was now under control, demonstrators are still demonstrating in some parts of the country, especially in urban centers, where demonstrators established roadblocks on Tuesday, and set fire to tyres on the thoroughfares.

Analysts caution that the election-related unrest could plunge the nation into a governmental instability.