85-Year-Old Biya To Contest For 7th Term As Cameroon President

President Paul Biya of Cameroon has expressed interest to run for the seventh consecutive term.

Biya, who came into power in 1982, said he will contest in the country’s election slated for October, 2018.

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“I will be your candidate in the next presidential election,” he wrote on Twitter.

Biya is one of the longest serving presidents on the continent.

The 85-year-old recently came under intense criticism recently, after a viral video showing extrajudicial killing of children by Cameroonian soldiers.

According to Samira Daoud, deputy director of Amnesty International’s West Africa office, the video was likely filmed in the Mayo Tsanaga area in the far north region of the country.

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The ministry of information in Cameroon had dismissed the video as fake.

“The Cameroonian authorities’ initial claim that this shocking video is fake simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny,” Daoud said.

“We can provide credible evidence to the contrary. Given the gravity of these horrific acts – the cold blooded and calculated slaughter of women and young children – these hasty and dismissive denials cast serious doubt over whether any investigation will be genuine.

“It is imperative that a proper, impartial investigation is undertaken and those responsible for these abhorrent acts are brought to justice.”

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