Issa Tchiroma Bakary – a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya – has quit Cameroon’s government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya’s four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections. Just four months before the central African nation goes to the polls, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party. “A country cannot exist in the service of one man,” he said on Wednesday. While he was communications minister, Tchiroma notably came under fire for denying – then backtracking on his denial – that Cameroonian soldiers had killed women and children in a viral video verified by BBC Africa Eye. His other roles during almost two decades in government include being a spokesman for the Biya government, and, until his resignation on Tuesday, he was employment minister. Paul Biya – the world’s oldest head of state – has yet to confirm if he will attempt an eighth term as president. Last year, the country banned reports on the president’s health following rumours he had died. As this election approaches, high unemployment and soaring living costs are of concern to many Cameroonians, as are corruption and security. A separatist insurgency in the English-speaking provinces as well as jihadists operating in the northernmost region have forced many thousands of Cameroonians from their homes in the past decade.

Full report : Cameroon leader’s ally quits, launches challenge in political shake-up.