( CNN ) -- Opposition groups in Cameroon are planning `` Egypt-like '' protests Wednesday to call for the president 's ouster after almost three decades in power . President Paul Biya is running for re-election later this year . `` People yearn to see a change in government . He 's been in place for 28 years , '' said Kah Walla , 45 , an opposition member who is also running for president . Walla , one of the main organizers , said protests are planned in Douala and the capital , Yaounde . `` Our main reason is to ask for free and fair elections , '' she said . `` We also have other demands ... Cameroon has a lot of resources yet our people are living in poverty . '' A spokesman for the prime minister was not available for comment and a man who answered the phone at the president 's office declined to comment . Walla said the nation has been inspired by the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that led to the ouster of their longtime rulers . The protests have ignited a chain reaction that has spread to other countries , including Libya and Yemen . `` We want to take charge of our destiny like the people in Egypt and Tunisia did , '' Walla said . The U.S. Embassy in the Cameroon capital urged its citizens to be careful . `` As always , U.S. citizens should avoid all demonstrations , as even peaceful ones can quickly become unruly and a foreign national could stand out and become a target of harassment or worse , '' the embassy said in a statement Wednesday . In 2008 , protesters took to the streets on the same day to protest food prices . Walla said they chose the date because it is `` symbolic of the ongoing fight '' in the west African nation .
The elections are planned for October . ` ` People want to see a change in government , '' he says . Protests are planned in Douala and the capital , Yaounde .