Anicet Ekane, leader of the Cameroonian opposition African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), has died in detention, five weeks after his arrest.
A long-time critic of President Paul Biya, Ekane was arrested in Douala, alongside other party members, on October 24 and later transferred to the Secretariat of State for Defence (SED) in Yaoundé.
The late politician was under investigation on charges of “hostility against the nation, incitement to revolt, and calling for protest”.
Ekane’s health was said to be fragile at the time of his arrest and became worse after he was transferred to the SED.
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His lawyers and party announced his death on Monday.
According to a MANIDEM spokesperson, Ekane died at a military medical facility in the morning, after his health took a downturn over the weekend.
“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,” the party official said.
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He added that the family later took the corpse to the mortuary.
Cyrille Atonfack, defence ministry spokesperson, said the opposition leader had died from illness, adding that the politician had been well taken care of by doctors since his arrest.
But MANIDEM accused the authorities of denying Ekane access to his medication. The government has denied all the allegations.
René Sadi, minister of communication and government spokesperson, expressed the government’s condolences to Ekane’s family and the MANIDEM party.
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Sadi said an investigation had been launched to determine the exact circumstances of Ekane’s death.
Ekane supported Issa Bakary, the main opposition candidate in the last presidential elections, won by incumbent President Paul Biya.
On October 27, 92-year-old Biya was announced the winner, securing a consecutive eighth term.
Isa Tchiroma, who claimed victory, had asked citizens to protest the results. He has since reportedly fled to the Gambia.
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