Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane has died in detention, his lawyer confirmed on Monday, December 1, 2025, following weeks in custody amid a sweeping government crackdown on post-election protests.
Ekane, the head of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party, was arrested on October 24 after being accused of supporting Issa Tchiroma, who controversially declared himself the winner of Cameroon’s recent presidential election. Authorities branded Tchiroma’s self-proclamation as an act of subversion, triggering mass arrests and violent clashes across the country.
Human rights groups and opposition figures report that dozens of people were killed during the ensuing government crackdown, while several political activists remain missing.
Tchiroma has since fled into exile in The Gambia, where he continues to denounce the Cameroonian government’s handling of the election.
In a statement issued on November 21, MANIDEM accused the police of confiscating Ekane’s medical equipment, including his oxygen concentrator, which they said remained locked in his seized vehicle in Douala. The party described the act as “gravely dangerous” to the opposition leader’s fragile health condition.
Ekane, a respected figure within Cameroon’s left-wing political movement, had long advocated for social justice, democratic reform, and an end to state repression. His death in custody is expected to intensify scrutiny of the government’s treatment of political detainees and its handling of post-election unrest.
