France concerned about Cameroon violent repression against protests

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PARIS (Reuters) -The French government is concerned about the violent repression against post-election protests in Cameroon and called the authorities to guarantee the safety and physical integrity of the country’s citizens, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We believe it is essential that democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law be scrupulously respected and that all persons arbitrarily detained since the beginning of the electoral process be released in order to preserve national cohesion,” it said.

Paul Biya, the world’s oldest state leader at 92 and in power since 1982, was officially declared winner of the presidential election held on October 12. His reelection has deepened tensions in the cocoa and oil-producing nation, where critics accuse him of using state institutions to cling to power.

Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has vowed to resist until the “final victory”, calling on his supporters to keep protesting.

At least 23 people have been killed as a result of security forces cracking down on protesters since the weekend, a civil society group known as “Stand up for Cameroon” said in a media briefing on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Bate Felix, Editing by Franklin Paul)