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About a hundred demonstrators gathered in Geneva on Saturday against Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who is staying in one of the best hotels in the Swiss city.
Police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who demonstrated for several hours near the Intercontinental Hotel, where the 88-year-old leader has resided for at least Sunday.
The hotel is regularly used by visiting foreign officials and it is where US President Joe Biden stayed ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Biya is an occasional private visitor.
A fierce struggle for independence from English-speaking rebels has raged in the North West and South West (NOSO) regions of Cameroon since 2017.
Members of the English-speaking minority in the westernmost provinces of the country have long complained of being marginalized by the French-speaking majority and Biya, in power for 38 years.
From 2017, their protests escalated into a bloody conflict.
Saturday’s demonstration in Geneva was first authorized and then banned, as police feared the demonstration would overflow.
Road restrictions have been imposed around the Intercontinental and the nearby plaza outside the United Nations headquarters in the city.
‘Biya get out’
Protesters were confronted with a line of police in riot gear blocking the road from the square to the hotel.
They held up handcrafted signs saying: “Switzerland supports dictator Biya”, “Paul Biya: eternal dictator”, “We no longer want you in Switzerland as long as NOSO is at war” and “Biya, get out”.
A man was wearing a t-shirt with “Stop the Cameroonian genocide” written on it.
Another man was shot dead by police after trying to climb the UN gates.
The Swiss news agency ATS reported that protesters then made several attempts to force the police cordon and threw eggs at the officers.
Police then deployed water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas to clear the protest, forcing protesters to disperse to several parks.
Two people were slightly injured and taken to hospital for checks, while one person was arrested, ATS said.
Since the start of Biya’s visit, several small groups of opponents have been dispersed by the authorities.
Three people were arrested earlier this week, while a dozen others were detained on Friday.
In Cameroon, the UN and international humanitarian organizations say that since the unrest began in 2017, English-speaking army troops and rebels have committed abuses and crimes against civilians.
Over 3,500 people have been killed and over 700,000 have fled their homes to escape the conflict.
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