Cameroon: opponent of President Paul Biya, Anicet Ekane has died in prison
Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane, a leading figure of the nationalist left and a candidate in the 2004 and 2011 presidential elections, died on Monday, December 1, 2025 in Yaoundé at the age of 74. Arrested in October after supporting Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s electoral challenge, he died as his health deteriorated in detention, while his requests for medical evacuation were not taken into account.
The announcement of his death in detention sent shockwaves through Cameroon’s political class. A prominent figure of the opposition to Paul Biya, Anicet Ekane was detained on October 24 in Douala, on the eve of the official release of the latest presidential election results. Transferred to the State Secretariat for Defense (SED) in Yaoundé, he was kept in custody there despite repeated warnings about the deterioration of his health.
According to Valentin Dongmo, vice-president of Manidem, his party, the opposition figure had been showing worrying signs for several weeks that required specialized care. Urgent requests for his transfer to an appropriate hospital and for medical evacuation had been submitted to judicial and administrative authorities, but they went unanswered.
Warnings ignored despite rapid deterioration
Anicet Ekane was arrested at the same time as several political leaders who had publicly supported Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s claim of victory in the last presidential election. Manidem denounced “arbitrary arrests” aimed, it said, at intimidating citizens and preventing any contestation of the results that returned Paul Biya to the head of the country.
At the SED, where he was detained, the opposition figure’s health reportedly began to deteriorate rapidly, according to his relatives. Despite repeated alarm signals, no medical transfer was authorized, a situation the party today describes as “deliberate abandonment”.
This was not Anicet Ekane’s first arrest. As early as February 1990, he had been convicted by military courts before being pardoned a few months later. His death in detention has revived the debate over detention conditions in Cameroon and the treatment of political opponents.
On social media, messages of shock and outrage are multiplying. Several voices are calling for an independent investigation to clarify the exact circumstances of his death.