Cameroon’s opposition leader has vowed to resist until the “final victory” over President Paul Biya, calling on his supporters to stay mobilised as another protest erupted in Douala after the veteran leader secured an eighth term in power.

Biya, the world’s oldest leader at 92, has ruled Cameroon since 1982. His election victory on October 12 has deepened tensions in the cocoa and oil-producing nation, where critics accuse him of using state institutions to cling to power.

Deadly clashes have flared across the Central African nation after the Constitutional Council announced Biya’s reelection in a decision which is final and not subject to appeal.

On Wednesday morning, Issa Tchiroma Bakary supporters again took to the streets of the economic capital that were still strewn with debris and burnt tyres after days of unrest.

In other parts of the usually bustling city, businesses began to gradually reopen after being closed due to protests and the unrest, while traffic remained sparse.

“The truth of the ballot is clear. We won this election by a large majority. This victory is not mine alone; it belongs to the Cameroonian people,” Tchiroma said late on Tuesday in his first public address since the council confirmed Biya’s win.

Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji accused Tchiroma on Tuesday of inciting the violence and rebellion after prematurely declaring victory on October 13.

“This irresponsible candidate, driven by the desire to push through the plot to disrupt public order, issued repeated calls on social media inciting civil unrest,” Nji said in a statement.

He said small groups “often under the influence of drugs” looted shops and set fire to public buildings. He did not provide any evidence that the protesters had taken drugs.

A civil society group called “Stand up for Cameroon” said over 500 protesters were arrested between October 26 and 28 and that they were detained in “inhumane” conditions.

A video circulating on social media showed security forces loading an inert body onto the back of a military truck. In another clip, protesters could be heard chanting “Give back the corpse”.

In Douala, which has experienced some of the worst violence, Nji said many public and private properties had been vandalised.

He said security personnel were injured and attackers killed during clashes.