Veteran Cameroonian opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, has died in detention five weeks after his arrest, triggering widespread anger and intensifying scrutiny of President Paul Biya’s administration.
Ekane, 74, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), was a key figure in the opposition coalition that backed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in October’s presidential election—an election officially awarded to Biya, 92. Bakary, who maintained 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 condition worsened 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 transferred the body to a mortuary.
Ekane’s death sent shockwaves through political circles, with supporters gathering at MANIDEM’s Douala headquarters to mourn and demand answers. The party reported that its offices had since been surrounded by security forces.
Defence Ministry spokesman, Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack, confirmed Ekane’s death but dismissed allegations of mistreatment.
“The deceased, who suffered from various chronic pathologies, had been interned at the Military Medical Centre of the National Gendarmerie,” Atonfack stated.
“He was well taken care of by doctors since his arrest on 24 October.”
He added that an investigation had begun to determine the precise circumstances surrounding Ekane’s death.
However, MANIDEM and Ekane’s legal team insisted his detention was unlawful, accusing authorities of denying him essential medication and violating procedural safeguards.
“He was never presented before a judge or charged with any misdemeanour,” said Hippolyte Meli, one of Ekane’s lawyers, describing the detention as “illegal.”
Ekane had been accused of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection—allegations his party consistently said were politically orchestrated.
His death comes amid heightened post-election tension in Cameroon. The United Nations recently reported that at least 48 people were killed by security forces during protests following Biya’s re-election, including demonstrators allegedly shot near Bakary’s residence in Garoua.
Bakary had claimed that snipers were positioned in a building opposite his home, “firing at point-blank range at the people.” The government has denied the accusations.
A prominent left-wing voice, Ekane was known for his uncompromising criticism of Cameroon’s political system and long-standing advocacy for democratic reforms. He initially endorsed Maurice Kamto for the 2025 election, but Kamto’s candidacy was rejected by both Elecam and the Constitutional Council on technical grounds.
Ekane later joined the Union for Change Coalition, which rallied behind Issa Tchiroma Bakary as its presidential candidate.
Rumours of Ekane’s death had circulated for weeks, prompting his party to demand public proof that he was “dead or alive.”
With confirmation of his passing, political tensions have reignited as critics accuse the Biya government of systematic repression and the weaponisation of state institutions against dissenting voices.
