Anicet Ekane, the 74-year-old leader of Cameroon’s opposition African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), has died in detention, five weeks after his arrest in Douala alongside other party members.
Ekane, a long-time critic of President Paul Biya, was being investigated for charges including “hostility against the nation, incitement to revolt, and calling for protest.” MANIDEM officials claimed he was denied access to necessary medication, with the party spokesperson saying, “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.”
Government officials, however, said he died from illness and had received proper medical care, with an investigation launched to determine the exact circumstances.
Ekane had supported opposition presidential candidate Issa Bakary in the recent elections won by Biya, who secured an unprecedented eighth term.