Implications for Tchiroma's exile in The Gambia.

In a statement disseminated in the international media, authorities in Banjul said Tchiroma arrived on November 7 and is being hosted “for humanitarian reasons”, stressing that the measure was taken in the spirit of African solidarity to ensure his safety while diplomatic discussions continue.

The Gambia emphasised that its territory will not be used as a base for any subversive activities against Cameroon or any other African Union member state.

It added that it "is working closely with regional partners, including Nigeria, to promote a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the crisis”.

The statement, posted on the Facebook page of the office of The Gambian President, Adama Barrow, said The Gambia "...is working closely with regional partners, including Nigeria, to support a peaceful and negotiated outcome” following October’s disputed election.

Official election results showed President Biya secured his eighth term in office with 53.6 percent of the vote, against 35.2 percent for Tchiroma, President of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, FSNC. 

But Tchiroma, who claimed vote tampering, stated he was the election’s real winner. “This is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful,” Tchiroma had stated. 

The Gambian statement noted that Tchiroma “...is being hosted temporarily in The Gambia for humanitarian reasons, in a spirit of African solidarity”, adding that the country remains committed to respecting the sovereignty of AU member States.

The Gambian’s emphasised collaboration with regional partners like Nigeria to facilitate a “peaceful and negotiated outcome” to disputed results, raises critical questions: what negotiations are underway?

Why is The Gambia, the negotiator, Tchiroma's host instead of Nigeria where the politician has influential friends? What is on the table for negotiations? What happens if negotiations fail?

Some sources indicate backchannel talks mediated by the AU, ECOWAS, and possibly the UN, focusing on a power-sharing deal or transitional government.

Tchiroma’s November 17 video  to Cameroonians from exile called for "national dialogue and prisoner releases" which could point to his position in such negotiations.

There have also been speculations of a dialogue in which Tchiroma gets the post of Vice President to be reintroduced.

The negotiations are likely to include a revision of the Electoral Code which is at the nexus of the conflict. 

The choice of The Gambia, according to Tchiroma's supporters, is a strategic moral authority as the country had hosted talks akin to those in Malawi (2020) and Côte d’Ivoire (2011), where disputed elections led to opposition victories were "stolen" but international arbitration reserved the outcome.

The Gambia, with its small size but moral authority acts as a neutral venue, potentially hosting the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights. 

With some 95 percent of the population being Muslim, Tchiroma a devout Muslim is said to be at home in The Gambia. His subsequent move to The Gambia after a week in Yola, Adamawa State, and a stint in Abuja, as reported by Daily Trust newspaper, suggest a coordinated regional effort to keep him far from the reach of the Cameroon authorities.

Nigeria’s involvement is key. As Cameroon’s powerful neighbour, it has economic leverage and partner in the fight against Boko Haram which remain a menace in Far North region.

Tchiroma's official spokesperson, Douala-based lawyer and human rights activist, Alice Kom, on Sunday welcomed the development and thanked The Gambian for their hospitality,

Given Cameroon's intransigence in negotiations brokered by neutral countries as illustrated with the conflict in the North West and South West Regions, there is pessimism that Yaounde may not cave in to pressure from regional partners.

If Cameroon ignores dialogue, there will, however, not be the scenario in which in 2017 The Gambian incumbent President, Yahya Jammeh, lost an election and refused to hand over. 

But he was forced out by pressure from ECOWAS to go into exile for the opposition winner to be sworn in. Cameroon is a "continent", nonetheless, a failed negotiation could have unforeseen ramifications not only for Cameroon but for neighbours.

The Gambia has said its territory won’t be used for “subversive activities". But Tchiroma directing media and diplomatic activities, including "peaceful" demonstrations like the three-day of ghost towns and appointment of his spokesperson which were all carried out while he was in Banjul should make Yaounde think twice.

As The Guardian Post has pointed out on another occasion, Tchiroma and his era are not like those of Fru Ndi and Maurice Kamto who claimed to have won the presidential election and their victory "stolen".

They were both incarcerated in Cameroon to mitigate the damage. But with Tchiroma free and safe, compounded with the conflict in the North West, South West and Far North Regions, he offers a ball game fraught with risks.

That is why for the interest of justice, peace and African solidarity, The Guardian Post urges the Yaounde regime not to snub the offer of negotiation being proposed which will, however, not require the incumbent to step down. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3636 of Tuesday November 25, 2025