Staff Reporter

Veteran Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has died in military detention, sparking accusations of medical neglect. He was 78.

His death threatens to escalate the nation’s political turmoil following the disputed October presidential election.

Ekane, leader of the left-wing African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), passed away in Yaounde, 38 days after his arrest in Douala.

He was detained on charges of insurrection and rebellion following his support for opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who rejected the results that handed 92-year-old President Paul Biya another term.

Ekane’s death has elicited outrage, with his party branding it murder and a flagrant human rights violation.

Muna Ekane, the late politician’s eldest son, told the Press that his father’s health had deteriorated sharply over the last week, as he suffered from severe respiratory distress and suffocation.

“For one week, he had difficulties breathing… We spent the whole week alerting public authorities about his worsening health situation but nothing was done,” he said.

Ekane’s attorney, Emmanuel Simh, alleged his client was denied appropriate medical treatment. “Ekane committed no crime, so we need to know why he was arrested and abandoned,” Simh stated.

MANIDEM had issued an urgent appeal on Sunday demanding Ekane’s immediate transfer to a civilian hospital.

The Cameroonian government has acknowledged the death, stating it was caused by an illness, and has sought to counter the accusations of neglect.

The Defense Ministry asserted that Ekane, who suffered from various chronic illnesses, had been receiving care at the National Gendarmerie Military Medical Center in conjunction with his personal physicians.

Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi expressed regret, and President Biya has ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the death.

Ekane’s passing comes amid an escalating crackdown on the opposition following the contested election.

The veteran activist had dedicated nearly five decades to the push for multiparty democracy and social justice in Cameroon.

The European Union delegation in the country expressed deep sadness and renewed demands for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the October poll.