Left-wing Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in detention, five weeks after he was arrested, his lawyers and party have announced.
Ekane, 74, was among the leaders of an opposition coalition who endorsed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in October's presidential election.
Tchiroma Bakary claims he was the rightful winner of the poll, officially won by 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya. Tchiroma Bakary has since fled to The Gambia.
No official cause of Ekane's death has been announced. His party has accused the authorities of denying him access to his medication - a charge the government has denied.
According to a spokesman for Ekane's African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem) party, Ekane died on Monday morning at a military medical facility, after his health worsened 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, he said.
He added that the family later took the corpse to the mortuary.
Defence ministry spokesman Capt Cyrille Serge Atonfack stated the Manidem leader had died from illness but did not provide further details.
The deceased, who suffered from various chronic pathologies, had been interned at the Military Medical Centre of the National Gendarmerie, he said, emphasizing that the politician had been well cared for by doctors since his arrest on 24 October.
Minister of Communication and government spokesperson René Emmanuel Sadi later conveyed the government's condolences to Ekane's family and the Manidem party. Sadi reiterated that Ekane had been under proper medical supervision at the military hospital where he was admitted, also indicating that an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of Ekane's death.
Renowned anti-corruption lawyer Akere Muna described Ekane's death as the extinguishing of a fierce and passionate flame that burned for democratic emancipation.
Muna articulated that basic humanitarian considerations and the evidence of Ekane's deteriorating health should have had compelled the authorities to allow his release to receive care from medical experts familiar with his condition.
Ekane's lawyers stated that he was accused of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection but was never presented before a judge or charged with any crime, labeling his detention as illegal.
Rumors about the opposition figure's demise had circulated in prior weeks, leading Ekane's party members to demand to see him dead or alive.
His death has sent shockwaves through the nation, where supporters have gathered at the party headquarters in Douala to mourn, while others expressed their outrage online. Manidem reported an increased security presence surrounding their offices.
Ekane had originally backed notable opposition leader Maurice Kamto in the presidential election, but upon Kamto’s disqualification by the electoral body, he pivoted to support Tchiroma Bakary. During protests against President Biya's re-election, at least 48 people were reported killed by Cameroonian security forces, raising further concerns about the government's conduct in times of political unrest.
The government continues to deny any wrongdoing amidst the growing calls for accountability.
