Left-wing Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in state custody, five weeks after his arrest, his lawyers and political party confirmed.
Ekane, 74, was a senior member of an opposition coalition that endorsed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in the October presidential election.
Authorities have not released an official cause of death.
His party, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), has accused the government of denying him access to essential medication—an allegation officials have rejected.
A Manidem spokesman said Ekane died on Monday morning at a military medical facility after his condition deteriorated over the weekend.
“We have no clarification,” he said.
“His wife had been called to come, and when she found herself there, she was just presented the corpse of her husband.”
The family later transferred the body to a mortuary.
Defence ministry spokesman Capt. Cyrille Serge Atonfack said Ekane died from illness but did not provide further details.
He noted that Ekane suffered from various chronic pathologies and had been admitted to the Military Medical Centre of the National Gendarmerie, where he was well taken care of by doctors since his arrest on October 24, 2025.
Authorities say a formal investigation has been opened to establish the exact circumstances leading to his death.
Ekane’s lawyers said he had been accused of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt and calls for insurrection.
However, they claim he was never brought before a judge or formally charged. Lawyer Hippolyte Meli described Ekane’s detention as illegal in a statement posted on social media.
In recent weeks, rumours about Ekane’s death had spread, prompting his party members to demand access to him, dead or alive.
The European Union has expressed deep concern following the death of Ekane while in state custody, calling for full clarity on the circumstances surrounding his detention and demise.
In a statement, the EU Delegation to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea said it received the news of Ekane’s death on Monday “with deep sadness.”
The EU extended its condolences to Ekane’s family, political associates and party members, describing him as “a committed activist and a prominent figure of democratic pluralism since the 1990s.”
His death, it added, leaves “a significant void in Cameroon’s public debate.”
The EU Delegation emphasised the need for a thorough and transparent inquiry.
It reiterated calls for the protection of all detained individuals, particularly those held in connection with the presidential election.
“The European Union strongly recalls… the need to ensure the safety and physical integrity of all political actors,” the Delegation said, urging authorities to address excesses of violence and human rights violations.
The bloc reaffirmed its longstanding demand for the release of all individuals it considers arbitrarily detained since the election period.
