Cameroonian Opposition Leader Dies in Military Custody

Veteran Cameroonian opposition leader Anicet Ekane, 74, died in military custody in Yaounde on Monday morning, weeks after his arrest amid protests over a disputed presidential election that extended President Paul Biya's long rule. Ekane, head of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy, or MANIDEM, had been detained since October 24, when security forces rounded up activists in Douala for denouncing alleged fraud in the October 12 vote.

Ekane's death has ignited accusations of medical neglect from his party, family, and lawyer, who say authorities denied him essential care for his chronic respiratory condition. Transferred from Douala to the State Secretariat for Defense in Yaounde shortly after his arrest, Ekane's health deteriorated rapidly, according to MANIDEM officials. The party stated that he was deprived of his oxygen concentrator, which remained in his seized vehicle, and blocked from seeing his pulmonologist for several days. "It is a crime of state, the unacceptable treatment inflicted on Anicet Ekane, who had always fought for liberties, social justice, sovereignty and the dignity of the Cameroonian people," MANIDEM said in a statement.