{"id":5492,"date":"2026-04-19T08:21:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/?p=5492"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:16:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:16:24","slug":"issa-tchiroma-bakary-from-biyas-bulldog-to-exiled-rebel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/issa-tchiroma-bakary-from-biyas-bulldog-to-exiled-rebel\/","title":{"rendered":"Issa Tchiroma Bakary: From &#8220;Biya\u2019s Bulldog&#8221; to Exiled Rebel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Issa Tchiroma Bakary<\/b> (born c. 1949) is a veteran Cameroonian politician whose career took a shocking and historic turn in 2025. <span class=\"citation-663 citation-end-663\">Long known as the fiercest defender of President Paul Biya, Tchiroma dramatically broke with the regime to run as the main opposition challenger in the October 2025 elections.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-662\">As of <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"310\"><span class=\"citation-662\">January 9, 2026<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-662\">, he is living in <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"343\"><span class=\"citation-662\">exile in Banjul, The Gambia<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-662 citation-end-662\">, from where he continues to claim he is the &#8220;rightful winner&#8221; of the presidency.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"2\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\">Key Biographical Information<\/h3>\n<table data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Detail<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Information<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Full Name<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,0\">Issa Tchiroma Bakary<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Born<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,1,0\">September 10, 1949, Garoua, Cameroon<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Current Status<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Exiled Opposition Leader<\/b> (in Banjul, The Gambia)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Former Office<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,1,0\">Minister of Employment (2019\u201325); Minister of Communication (2009\u201319)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Political Party<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC)<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">2025 Election<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,1,0\">Officially 2nd place (35.2%); Claims victory (60%+)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"5\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\">2025\u20132026: The Great Defection and Exile<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">The most stunning political event of the last year was Tchiroma\u2019s transformation from a regime loyalist to an insurrectionist figure.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-661\">The Break (June 2025):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-661 citation-end-661\"> On June 24, 2025, Tchiroma resigned from the government.<\/span> Within 24 hours, he declared his candidacy for the October election, denouncing the 43-year rule of Paul Biya (92) as a &#8220;clan-based failure.&#8221; This &#8220;about-face&#8221; shook the country, as Tchiroma had previously served as the regime\u2019s spokesperson for a decade.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-660\">The Disputed Election:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-660 citation-end-660\"> Following the October 12, 2025, vote, Tchiroma preemptively declared victory on social media, calling it a &#8220;clear sanction&#8221; of the regime.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-659\">When the Constitutional Council officially declared Biya the winner with <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"235\"><span class=\"citation-659\">53.7%<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-659\"> to Tchiroma\u2019s <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"255\"><span class=\"citation-659\">35.2%<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-659 citation-end-659\">, Tchiroma alleged massive fraud and called for nationwide &#8220;ghost town&#8221; strikes.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-658\">Escape to The Gambia:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-658 citation-end-658\"> In late October 2025, after reporting that snipers were surrounding his residence in Garoua, Tchiroma fled the country.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-657\">He found refuge in <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"161\"><span class=\"citation-657\">Banjul, The Gambia<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-657 citation-end-657\">, where the Gambian government granted him &#8220;temporary humanitarian asylum&#8221; for his safety.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Current Activity (January 2026):<\/b> As of this week, Tchiroma remains active from exile. On <b data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"89\">January 1, 2026<\/b>, he issued a New Year&#8217;s message to Cameroonians, urging &#8220;civil disobedience&#8221; and continuing to maintain the legitimacy of a &#8220;parallel government.&#8221; <span class=\"citation-656\">He recently appointed prominent lawyer <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"289\"><span class=\"citation-656\">Alice Nkom<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-656 citation-end-656\"> as his spokesperson to challenge the regional elections held in late 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"9\">The &#8220;Super-Spokesman&#8221; Legacy<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10\">Before his 2025 rebellion, Tchiroma was one of the most polarizing figures in Cameroonian media:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"11\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-655\">&#8220;The Military Does Not Kill&#8221;:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-655 citation-end-655\"> As Minister of Communication, he famously defended the army against all allegations of human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions, once telling Equinoxe TV that &#8220;the military does not kill.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-654\">Debunked Denials:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-654 citation-end-654\"> He gained international notoriety for denying a viral video showing soldiers killing women and children in the Far North\u2014a denial that was later proven false by a BBC investigation, forcing the government to admit the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"12\">Professional Background<\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"13\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Engineer to Inmate:<\/b><span class=\"citation-653 citation-end-653\"> Originally a materials and railway engineer, Tchiroma was arrested in 1984 following a failed coup attempt against Biya.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"citation-652\">He spent over <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"155\"><span class=\"citation-652\">six years in prison<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-652 citation-end-652\"> without charge, during which he taught himself English.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The &#8220;Better Devil&#8221;:<\/b><span class=\"citation-651 citation-end-651\"> In the 2025 election, he was famously described by a Catholic bishop as the &#8220;better devil&#8221;\u2014a man the public knew was flawed but represented the only viable alternative to the status quo.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Issa Tchiroma Bakary (born c. 1949) is a veteran Cameroonian politician whose career took a shocking and historic turn in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-offbeat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5493,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492\/revisions\/5493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}