Cameroonian Opposition Leader Anicet Ekane Dies In Custody In Yaounde

Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has died in detention in Yaounde, his party’s vice president confirmed on Monday.

“Anicet Ekane passed away this morning in Yaounde, where he had been transferred after his arrest in Douala at the end of October,” Valentin Dongmo of the African Movement for the New Independence of Cameroon (Manidem) said. The cause of the 74-year-old’s death has not been confirmed.

Ekane, a veteran left-wing nationalist, was arrested in Douala on October 24, just before the announcement of presidential election results that secured 92-year-old Paul Biya an eighth term. He was a close ally of opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who had challenged Biya’s decades-long rule.

Dongmo said Ekane’s health worsened while in custody at the State Defence Secretariat (SED) in Yaounde. “We repeatedly requested that he be transferred to a hospital with adequate medical care, but our appeals were ignored. Just yesterday, his supporters again called for a medical evacuation,” he added.

Ekane and other opposition figures had been detained after publicly supporting Bakary’s claim of victory ahead of the official results. Manidem described the arrests as “arbitrary” and intended to intimidate citizens.

Born in Douala in 1951, Ekane joined the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) in 1973 before founding Manidem in 1995. He was previously arrested in 1990 as part of the Yondo Black group, tried by a military court, and later pardoned.

Ekane led Manidem for several years and ran for president in 2004 and 2011. News of his death has sparked widespread reactions on social media.