World’s oldest president sworn in after deadly protests

Cameroon’s Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler, was sworn in for an eighth term as president on Thursday following a disputed election that triggered deadly protests.

In his inauguration speech, the 92-year-old pledged to restore order to the central African nation and blamed irresponsible politicians and the diaspora for inciting unrest.

“As I take office, I fully measure the seriousness of the situation our country is going through. I measure the number and severity of challenges we face. I measure the depth of frustrations, the scale of expectations,” Biya told the audience, dressed in a sombre suit.

Security forces killed 48 civilians during protests against Biya’s re-election, according to data from two U.N. sources.

The government has not responded to requests for comment or given its own estimates of how many people were killed or injured during the unrest.

Biya was named winner of the election by a comfortable margin last week, with 53.66% of the vote against 35.19% for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, according to the official results.

His new mandate could keep him in power until he is almost 100.

Tchiroma had declared himself the winner shortly after the October 12 election, and protests erupted in various locations as early results showed Biya, in power since 1982, was in the lead.

Tchiroma, a former government spokesperson who resigned from his ministerial post in June, said last week that soldiers who were loyal to him had escorted him to a secure location, suggesting a possible split within the army.

He did not say how many soldiers were involved.

• Reporting by Dakar newsroom; Writing by Jessica Donati.