Cameroon opposition leader Tchiroma says loyal soldiers escorted him to safety

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DAKAR (Reuters) -Cameroon opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary said on Friday he had been escorted to a secure location by soldiers loyal to him for his protection, a move that could signal a split within the army following a disputed election.

Tchiroma had been holed up in his house in the northern city of Garoua since a presidential election on October 12 in which he claimed victory.

Although he did not give the number of soldiers, his assertion that members of the army are loyal to him could indicate a split within the country’s security forces.

“I thank the loyalist army, which has shown its patriotism by escorting me to a safe location and is currently ensuring my protection,” Tchiroma said in a message on his Facebook page.

A spokesperson for the central African nation’s defence ministry declined comment to Reuters.

Cameroon’s Constitutional Council on Monday declared President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler at 92, as the winner of the election, leading to violent protests in several cities of the oil- and cocoa-producing nation.

The disputed election has escalated tensions in the country, with security forces accused of killing at least 23 protesters and detaining over 500, according to a civil society group.

In a separate message on Facebook on Friday, Tchiroma called for a three-day national lockdown from Monday urging supporters to suspend activities and remain at home to show disagreement with the election results.

“Let the entire country come to a standstill, so that the whole world knows that we are resisting and that we will not yield,” Tchiroma said in a video.

“Let us keep our shops closed, suspend our activities, remain at home, in silence, to demonstrate our solidarity and to remind this regime that the strength of an economy is its people.”

(Reporting by Bate Felix and Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian)