Cameroon’s leading opposition politician, Anicet Ekane, has died at the age of 74 after weeks of detention, according to reports from his lawyers and family on Monday. They stated that he struggled to breathe and did not receive adequate medical care while in custody.
Ekane was arrested in late October along with other prominent members of his party, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy, amid widespread protests over allegations of fraud in the presidential election. He faced charges of insurrection, according to his lawyer, Emmanuel Simh. “Mr. Ekane was critically ill and denied appropriate treatment,” Simh said. “We are still in shock and sadness. Ekane committed no crime, so we must understand why he was arrested and abandoned in a prison cell of the paramilitary gendarmerie.”
Cameroon’s communication minister, René Emmanuel Sadi, expressed the government’s regret over Ekane’s death and announced that President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding it.
Ekane was among the opposition figures who contested the results of the October 12 election, in which Biya at 92 years old and the world’s oldest president, was declared the winner for another term. Rival candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed victory and urged Cameroonians to reject the official results.
On Monday, Cameroon’s defense ministry stated that Ekane died “following an illness” and that an investigation has been opened. The ministry claimed that Ekane, who suffered from various chronic health issues, had been hospitalized at the National Gendarmerie Military Medical Center. They asserted that he was receiving appropriate care from the Military Medical Corps and his personal physicians, and that he was benefiting from additional follow-up care in local hospitals.
Both Ekane’s party and the Union for Change political platform he led released statements claiming he was “murdered” and calling for an international investigation.
Muna Ekane, Ekane’s eldest son, told journalists that his father’s health had deteriorated on Sunday. “For a week, he had difficulty breathing; he was suffocating,” his son said. “He was diagnosed while in detention, but no proper treatment was provided. He struggled to eat. We spent the entire week alerting public authorities about his deteriorating health, but nothing was done.”
Muna did not specify the exact diagnosis, only describing it as “respiratory problems.” He also mentioned that he believed his father had been arrested for supporting Tchiroma, who fled to Gambia last month.
Following the announcement of the election results, deadly protests erupted in key opposition strongholds. While the government reported that 16 people were killed, opposition figures and human rights groups estimated the death toll to be over 55.
Credit: AP