Tension as Cameroon’s opposition leader Ekane dies in detention

Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has been confirmed dead in detention, a development that may worsen political tensions in the country.

His sister, Mariane Simon-Ekane, confirmed the death on Monday, December 1, 2025.

Ekane, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party, was arrested on October 24, 2025, following post-election demonstrations in what his party described as a “kidnapping” by Cameroonian soldiers.

The 74-year-old leader was being held on charges of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection, accusations he denied.

His death in detention could heighten tensions in the central African nation, where security forces killed 48 civilians as they responded to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler at 92, who has led his country since 1982.

Ekane’s lawyer, Ngouana Ulrich Juvenal, said the Cameroonian opposition leader was barely able to speak during a visit just days before his death.

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His party said in a statement on November 21 that Ekane’s oxygen concentrator and other essential medical devices he needed were locked in his impounded vehicle at a military police station in the commercial capital Douala.

The party accused the commander of the station of repeatedly blocking lawyers’ efforts to recover Ekane’s medical equipment, calling it a “flagrant human rights violation” that amounted to a “programmed killing.”

Cameroon’s authorities have not spoken on the opposition leader’s death as of press time.

His detention, along with that of party member Florence Aimee Titcho and other supporters of presidential contender Issa Tchiroma Bakary, had drawn condemnation from opposition groups, which demanded their immediate and unconditional release, according to Reuters.

Tchiroma, who fled to Gambia, is being hosted there on humanitarian grounds, according to Gambian authorities.

The Star