Anicet Ekane, a well-known voice on Cameroon’s left-wing opposition scene, has died in custody five weeks after being detained, according to statements from his legal team and political movement.
The 74-year-old activist had been part of an opposition alliance that backed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in the October presidential race.
Tchiroma Bakary maintains that he legitimately won the vote, although official results declared 92-year-old President Paul Biya the victor. He has since taken refuge in The Gambia.
Officials have not provided a formal explanation for Ekane’s passing. His party alleges that he was deprived of essential medication, a claim authorities have rejected.
A representative of Ekane’s African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem) said he died early Monday at a military health centre, after his condition deteriorated sharply 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,” he said.
He noted that the family later transported the body to a mortuary.
A defence ministry spokesperson, Capt Cyrille Serge Atonfack, stated that Ekane died from illness but offered no additional information.
“The deceased, who suffered from various chronic pathologies, had been interned at the Military Medical Centre of the National Gendarmerie,” he said, adding that the politician had been well taken care of by doctors since his arrest on 24 October.
Ekane’s legal representatives say he had been accused of offenses including hostility towards the state, encouraging public unrest, and calling for insurrection.
“He was never presented before a judge or charged with any misdemeanour,” said one of his lawyers, Hippolyte Meli, in a statement on social media, describing the detention of the Manidem party leader as “illegal”.
Speculation about Ekane’s fate had been building in recent weeks, prompting party supporters to insist on confirmation of his status, demanding to see him “dead or alive”.
News of his death has deeply shaken the country, drawing crowds of mourners to Manidem headquarters in Douala while others voiced outrage online.
The party reports that security personnel have now surrounded its offices.
Ekane had earlier thrown his support behind opposition figure Maurice Kamto ahead of the election. Kamto — who previously spent months in detention after contesting the 2018 results — saw his presidential bid dismissed by both Elecam and the Constitutional Council, which ruled the party had nominated more than one contender.
Following this, Ekane and several other political actors formed the Union for Change Coalition, ultimately selecting former government spokesperson Tchiroma Bakary as their candidate.
Authorities say a formal inquiry has been opened to uncover the exact circumstances surrounding Ekane’s death.
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