A prominent Cameroonian opposition politician, Anicet Ekane, has died while being held in government custody in Yaounde, the capital of the Central African nation of Cameroon. His political party confirmed the development on Monday, marking yet another episode in growing tensions surrounding political freedoms and state detention conditions in the country.
“Anicet Ekane died this morning in Yaounde, where he had been transferred after his arrest at the end of October in Douala,” said Valentin Dongmo, the Vice President of the African Movement for the New Independence of Cameroon, widely known by its French acronym MANIDEM. Okay News reports that the party has long been vocal about the treatment of political activists in the country.
Ekane, who was seventy four years old, had been arrested on October twenty four in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city and economic hub. His detention came one day before the release of the nation’s presidential election results, in which ninety two year old President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since nineteen eighty two, secured an eighth consecutive term in office.
The exact circumstances surrounding Ekane’s death remain uncertain. However, Dongmo stated that the deterioration of the political leader’s health began shortly after he was taken to the State Defence Secretariat, a powerful security institution in Yaounde known for overseeing sensitive political and security-related detentions.
“Anicet Ekane was arrested in Douala and then transferred to Yaounde, where he was held at the State Defence Secretariat. It was there that his health began to deteriorate,” Dongmo explained. According to him, the party consistently pressed authorities for medical intervention.
“We repeatedly alerted the authorities, including the military court administration, requesting that Anicet Ekane be transferred to a hospital with the appropriate facilities for better care, but our requests did not receive a favourable response,” he added.
Dongmo further noted that “just yesterday”, Ekane’s supporters renewed their appeal for a “medical evacuation” due to concerns over his worsening state. Their plea came in the wake of rising tension after Ekane and several political allies were detained for openly declaring support for Issa Tchiroma Bakary, another major opposition figure who disputed President Biya’s October twelve election victory.
Manidem, founded in nineteen ninety five by Ekane after he left the historic Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, described the arrests as “arbitrary” actions aimed at intimidating Cameroonian citizens and silencing political dissent.
Born in nineteen fifty one in Douala, Ekane spent decades advocating for social justice and political reform. He previously participated in the Yondo Black Movement, whose members were arrested in February nineteen ninety during a period of strict one-party control. Although he was convicted in a military trial, Ekane was later pardoned.
Ekane led Manidem for several years and contested the presidential elections in two thousand four and two thousand eleven. News of his death has triggered widespread debate and emotional reactions across social media platforms, with supporters demanding accountability and transparency from the Cameroonian government.
