There is palpable anxiety in Cameroon after opposition leader Anicet Ekane died on Monday while detained in Yaoundé under President Paul Biya’s administration.
His party’s vice president, Valentin Dongmo, confirmed the 74-year-old’s death, saying Ekane had been transferred to Yaoundé following his October 24 arrest in Douala, ahead of the announcement of election results that returned Biya for an eighth term.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, though his lawyers said his health had deteriorated sharply in custody. Dongmo revealed that repeated requests for Ekane to receive proper medical treatment or be evacuated were ignored by authorities.
Ekane, a left-wing nationalist and ally of opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary, was held at the State Defence Secretariat (SED), where his condition reportedly worsened.
