Tension in Cameroon as opposition leader, Ekane, dies in detention

The death of Anicet Ekane, a prominent Cameroonian opposition figure, was announced on Monday by his lawyer.

Ekane had been held in detention since his arrest on October 24 amid a nationwide crackdown on post-election protests.

Authorities had accused him of supporting Issa Tchiroma, who controversially declared himself the winner of the presidential election — a move the government labelled subversive.

According to Africanews, dozens of people were killed in the ensuing crackdown, and Tchiroma has since fled into exile in Gambia.

Ekane’s party, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem), had raised alarm over his deteriorating health weeks before his death.

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On November 21, it accused police of confiscating his medical equipment, including an oxygen concentrator, which was left in his vehicle seized in Douala.

The party described the confiscation as “gravely dangerous” for Ekane’s wellbeing.

A major figure in Cameroon’s leftist opposition, Ekane was known for advocating democratic reforms and challenging the country’s long-standing political order.

His death is expected to intensify concerns about human rights abuses and political repression in Cameroon.

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