Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has died while in state custody in Yaoundé, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) confirmed on Monday.
Valentin Dongmo, MANIDEM’s vice-president, told AFP that Ekane passed away early Monday morning after weeks in detention.
The 74-year-old politician had been arrested on October 24 in Douala, a day before the release of presidential election results that declared 92-year-old President Paul Biya winner of an eighth term.
According to Dongmo, Ekane was transferred to the State Defence Secretariat (SED) in Yaoundé shortly after his arrest, where his health began to worsen.
Party officials said they made repeated appeals for him to be moved to a medical facility equipped to provide adequate treatment, but their requests were denied.
“Even as recently as yesterday, we were appealing for a medical evacuation because his condition had become critical,” Dongmo said.
Ekane was among several opposition figures detained for publicly backing fellow opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claimed victory in the October 12 election ahead of the official announcement.
MANIDEM described the arrests as “arbitrary,” accusing authorities of using intimidation to silence dissent.
Born in Douala in 1951, Ekane entered national politics through the historic Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) in 1973.
He later founded MANIDEM in 1995, championing left-wing and nationalist ideologies.
Over the years, he became one of the country’s most outspoken critics of longstanding political structures, running for president in 2004 and 2011.
His political activism had previously led to detention.
In 1990, he was arrested alongside members of the Yondo Black group and sentenced by a military court before receiving a pardon months later.
News of his death has sparked significant reactions across social media, with supporters, activists, and observers questioning the conditions of his detention and the government’s handling of requests for medical care.
Ekane’s passing adds to growing concerns over political freedoms and the treatment of opposition figures in Cameroon as the country continues to grapple with tension following the disputed presidential election.