Residents in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital city, have been voicing their views on Biya’s victory.
“We are at the beginning of another nightmare,” Amungwa Nicodemus told the BBC.
“The economy is declining, corruption is endemic, a lot of things are going wrong.”
Another resident, Abolo Denis, urged Cameroonians to accept the result, saying that peace is of utmost importance.
Paul Biya – having been in power since 1982 – is the only president most Cameroonians have known as more than 60% of the 30 million-strong population is below the age of 25.
Almost four out of 10 people in the country between 15 and 35 are unemployed and just under a quarter of young graduates face challenges in obtaining formal employment, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Young people are more inclined to emigrate abroad because they tell themselves that inside the country, they do not have the possibility of becoming somebody,” 26-year-old graduate Vanina Nzekui told the BBC in the run-up to the election.
“They tell themselves that all positions are occupied by older people,” she said, adding that this comes at the cost of using their skills to help develop the country.
src:BBC NEWS
