{"id":3983,"date":"2025-12-01T23:29:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T23:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3983"},"modified":"2025-12-01T23:29:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T23:29:07","slug":"cameroons-opposition-leader-anicet-ekane-dies-in-military-detention-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3983","title":{"rendered":"Cameroon\u2019s opposition leader Anicet Ekane dies in military detention | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>The death of veteran politician Ekane sparks accusations of medical neglect and intensifies the country\u2019s post-election crisis.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 1 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">1 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Veteran opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in military custody in Cameroon, his family and legal representatives have said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Ekane, 74, passed away on Monday morning in Yaounde, the country\u2019s capital, 38 days after security forces detained him in the port city of Douala, France\u2019s public radio RFI reported.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">His death has sparked widespread outrage and threatens to deepen the political turmoil gripping Cameroon following October\u2019s disputed presidential election, which saw 92-year-old Paul Biya claim another term after more than four decades in power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Ekane, the leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), a left-wing party, was seized on October 24 after backing Biya\u2019s rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has rejected official results and insists he won the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Authorities charged Ekane with insurrection and rebellion, allegations his party characterised as politically motivated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">His eldest son, Muna Ekane, told the Associated Press news agency that his father\u2019s condition deteriorated sharply over the last week, with severe respiratory distress leaving him struggling to breathe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">\u201cFor one week, he had difficulties breathing; he was suffocating,\u201d he said, adding that the family repeatedly alerted officials, but \u201cnothing was done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Ekane\u2019s lawyer, Emmanuel Simh, said his client had been\u00a0ill but was denied appropriate treatment. \u201cWe\u2019re still in shock and sadness,\u201d Simh said. \u201cEkane committed no crime, so we need to know why he was arrested and abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Ekane\u2019s party had issued an urgent appeal on Sunday demanding his immediate transfer to a civilian hospital, warning it would hold the government accountable for any consequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Cameroon\u2019s government has said Ekane received treatment care from military doctors working alongside his personal physicians, and said an investigation has been launched.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi has expressed regret over the death, while President Biya ordered a probe into the circumstances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">But Ekane\u2019s party has branded his death \u201cmurder,\u201d and the European Union delegation expressed \u201cdeep sadness\u201d and renewed demands for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the election.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Delegation of the European Union to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea reacts to the death in custody of politician Anicet Georges EKANE\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0FTVroVvUc\">pic.twitter.com\/0FTVroVvUc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 L&#8217;UE au Cameroun et pour la Guin\u00e9e \u00e9quatoriale (@UEauCameroun) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UEauCameroun\/status\/1995527532297191804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Ekane dedicated nearly five decades to political activism, emerging as a key figure in the early 1990s push for multiparty democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Ekane was viewed by his supporters as a political heir to Cameroon\u2019s nationalist heroes, but he witnessed the execution of independence fighter Ernest Ouandie.<\/p>\n<p>He remained a passionate advocate for social justice throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">His death comes amid ongoing controversy over the post-election crackdown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">While the government claims 16 people died in protests following Biya\u2019s declared victory, opposition groups and human rights organisations put the toll above 55.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words\">Tchiroma, the candidate Ekane supported,\u00a0fled to the Gambia last month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The death of veteran politician Ekane sparks accusations of medical neglect and intensifies the country\u2019s post-election crisis. Published On 1 Dec 20251 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Veteran opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in military custody in Cameroon, his family and legal representatives have said. Ekane, 74, passed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}