Anicet Ekane, an opposition leader in Cameroon, has passed away following detention. His family and lawyers say he died in custody without receiving the medical help he desperately needed. He was 74.
Ekane, founder of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy, had been detained since late October. His arrest came in the aftermath of nationwide protests that broke out over accusations of fraud in the presidential election. Authorities held him on accusations of insurrection, according to his lawyer Emmanuel Simh.
Simh told The Associated Press that the circumstances surrounding the politician’s final days remain deeply troubling. “Mr. Ekane was critically sick, he was denied appropriate treatment,” he said. “We’re still in the shock and sadness. Ekane committed no crime, so we need to know why he was arrested and abandoned in the prison cell of the paramilitary gendarmerie.”
As criticism rose on Monday, Cameroon’s communication minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, conveyed the government’s regret over the death and said President Paul Biya had instructed officials to investigate how the detention occurred.
Ekane had been among the loudest voices contesting the result of the October 12 election. Biya, at 92, the world’s oldest sitting president, was declared the winner of yet another term. His rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, insisted he had won and urged citizens to reject the official tally.
The Ministry of Defense said on Monday that Ekane died “following an illness,” and disclosed that an inquiry had already begun. The statement added that he had been under medical supervision. “The deceased, who suffered from various chronic illnesses, had since been hospitalized at the National Gendarmerie Military Medical Center,” it said. “He was receiving appropriate care from the Military Medical Corps, in conjunction with his personal physicians, and benefiting from additional follow-up care in local hospitals.”
However, Ekane’s political allies accused authorities of being responsible for his death. Both his party and the Union for Change platform he led described the incident as “murdered,” demanding an international probe to uncover what they believe was deliberate neglect.
READ ALSO: Three-day lockdown underway in Cameroon as opposition challenges Biya’s 8th term
His eldest son, Muna Ekane, said his father’s health had sharply declined the day before he died. “For one week, he had difficulties breathing; he was suffocating,” he told the AP. “He was diagnosed while in detention but no proper treatment was followed. He had difficulties eating. We spent the whole week alerting public authorities about his worsening health situation but nothing was done.” He declined to specify the diagnosis beyond mentioning “respiratory problems.”
The family believes Ekane was targeted because of his support for Tchiroma, who fled to Gambia last month as tensions intensified.
The disputed election results have already pushed the country into unrest. Deadly demonstrations took place in several opposition hubs soon after Biya was declared the winner. The government put the death toll at 16, while opposition leaders and rights activists said more than 55 people lost their lives.
The European Union has called on Cameroon to release all individuals it considers “arbitrarily detained” in the weeks following the vote.
READ ALSO: Cameroon opposition rejects election results as protests intensify across the country
