Cameroonian Opposition Figure Anicet Ekane Dies In Detention

Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has died while in detention in Yaounde, sparking fresh questions over the treatment of political detainees in the country. His party confirmed the death on Monday morning.

Vice President of the African Movement for the New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), Valentin Dongmo, told AFP that Ekane passed away after being transferred from Douala to the capital following his arrest in late October. He was 74.

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Dongmo said Ekane’s health deteriorated while he was being held at the State Defence Secretariat (SED) in Yaounde. According to him, the party repeatedly appealed to authorities, including the military court administration, to move the politician to a hospital with adequate facilities, but the requests were ignored. Supporters had renewed calls for a medical evacuation just a day before his death.

Ekane was arrested on October 24 in Douala, a day before the publication of Cameroon’s presidential election results, which returned 92-year-old Paul Biya to power for an eighth term. The veteran left-wing politician was reportedly detained for publicly supporting Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who challenged Biya’s 43-year rule and declared himself the rightful winner of the October 12 vote.

MANIDEM previously denounced the arrests of Ekane and other opposition figures as “arbitrary”, alleging that the crackdown was aimed at intimidating Cameroonians amid growing political tension.

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Born in Douala in 1951, Ekane entered politics early, joining the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) in 1973 before leaving to establish MANIDEM in 1995. He was also part of the Yondo Black group arrested in 1990 and tried by a military court, though he was later pardoned. Ekane led MANIDEM for several years and ran as the party’s presidential candidate in 2004 and 2011.

News of his death has stirred widespread reactions on social media, with supporters and activists calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his detention and medical treatment.