Cameroon Opposition Leader Anicet Ekane Dies In Detention

Veteran Cameroonian opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, has died in detention, five weeks after his arrest, sparking outrage and renewed scrutiny of President Paul Biya’s government.

Ekane, 74, who led the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party, was among the leaders of a coalition that backed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in October’s presidential election, a poll officially won by Biya, 92. Bakary, who insisted he was the rightful winner, has since fled to The Gambia.

According to MANIDEM, Ekane died on Monday morning at a military medical facility after his health deteriorated over the weekend.

“We have no clarification… His wife had been called to come and when she found herself there, she was just presented the corpse of her husband,” a party spokesman said, adding that the family later took the body to the mortuary.

Ekane’s death sent shockwaves across Cameroon, with supporters gathering at the party’s headquarters in Douala to mourn and demand justice. The party said its offices were now surrounded by security forces.

Defence ministry spokesman Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack confirmed Ekane’s death but said it resulted from illness, not mistreatment.

“The deceased, who suffered from various chronic pathologies, had been interned at the Military Medical Centre of the National Gendarmerie,” Atonfack said. “He was well taken care of by doctors since his arrest on 24 October.”

He added that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact circumstances of Ekane’s death.

However, MANIDEM and Ekane’s lawyers have accused authorities of denying him access to his medication and violating due process.

“He was never presented before a judge or charged with any misdemeanour,” said Hippolyte Meli, one of Ekane’s lawyers, describing his detention as “illegal.”

Ekane had been accused of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection, charges his party said were politically motivated.

Ekane’s death came amid heightened political tension in Cameroon following the disputed election. The United Nations reported that at least 48 people were killed by security forces during protests against Biya’s re-election, including several demonstrators allegedly shot dead near Bakary’s residence in Garoua.

Bakary had claimed that snipers were stationed in a building across from his home, “firing at point-blank range at the people.” The government has denied any wrongdoing.

A prominent left-wing figure, Ekane was known for his fiery criticism of Cameroon’s political establishment and his advocacy for democratic reforms. Initially, he endorsed opposition leader Maurice Kamto for the 2025 election, but Kamto’s candidacy was rejected by both Elecam, the electoral commission, and the Constitutional Council for technical reasons.

Ekane later joined forces with other politicians to form the Union for Change Coalition, which backed Tchiroma Bakary as its presidential candidate.

In recent weeks, rumours of Ekane’s death had circulated widely, prompting his party to demand proof that he was “dead or alive.”

His confirmed death reignited anger over what critics described as Biya’s government’s systemic repression of dissent and the weaponisation of the justice system against political opponents.