The death of veteran politician Ekane sparks accusations of medical neglect and intensifies the country’s post-election crisis.
Published On 1 Dec 2025
Veteran opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in military custody in Cameroon, his family and legal representatives have said.
Ekane, 74, passed away on Monday morning in Yaounde, the country’s capital, 38 days after security forces detained him in the port city of Douala, France’s public radio RFI reported.
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His death has sparked widespread outrage and threatens to deepen the political turmoil gripping Cameroon following October’s disputed presidential election, which saw 92-year-old Paul Biya claim another term after more than four decades in power.
Ekane, the leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), a left-wing party, was seized on October 24 after backing Biya’s rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has rejected official results and insists he won the vote.
Authorities charged Ekane with insurrection and rebellion, allegations his party characterised as politically motivated.
His eldest son, Muna Ekane, told the Associated Press news agency that his father’s condition deteriorated sharply over the last week, with severe respiratory distress leaving him struggling to breathe.
“For one week, he had difficulties breathing; he was suffocating,” he said, adding that the family repeatedly alerted officials, but “nothing was done.”
Ekane’s lawyer, Emmanuel Simh, said his client had been ill but was denied appropriate treatment. “We’re still in shock and sadness,” Simh said. “Ekane committed no crime, so we need to know why he was arrested and abandoned.”
Ekane’s party had issued an urgent appeal on Sunday demanding his immediate transfer to a civilian hospital, warning it would hold the government accountable for any consequences.
Cameroon’s government has said Ekane received treatment care from military doctors working alongside his personal physicians, and said an investigation has been launched.
Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi has expressed regret over the death, while President Biya ordered a probe into the circumstances.
But Ekane’s party has branded his death “murder,” and the European Union delegation expressed “deep sadness” and renewed demands for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the election.
The Delegation of the European Union to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea reacts to the death in custody of politician Anicet Georges EKANE… pic.twitter.com/0FTVroVvUc
— L’UE au Cameroun et pour la Guinée équatoriale (@UEauCameroun) December 1, 2025
Ekane dedicated nearly five decades to political activism, emerging as a key figure in the early 1990s push for multiparty democracy.
Ekane was viewed by his supporters as a political heir to Cameroon’s nationalist heroes, but he witnessed the execution of independence fighter Ernest Ouandie.
He remained a passionate advocate for social justice throughout his career.
His death comes amid ongoing controversy over the post-election crackdown.
While the government claims 16 people died in protests following Biya’s declared victory, opposition groups and human rights organisations put the toll above 55.
Tchiroma, the candidate Ekane supported, fled to the Gambia last month.