Cameroon: Death of opposition leader condemned

Civil society groups have condemned the death of prominent Cameroonian opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, in state custody on December 1st, according to Africa News and agencies.

The coordinator of the NGO New Human Rights, Cyrille Rolande Bechon, described Ekane’s detention and subsequent death as “a shock to civil society. Ekane was subjected to arbitrary detention for over 30 days, a clear violation of fundamental rights and Cameroon’s international commitments.”

According to Ekane’s defence lawyer, Maître Ngouana Ulrich Juvénal, Ekane’s health had been deteriorating in the days leading up to his death. He was last seen by his defence team on November 25th, who reported that he was “severely ill” and “barely able to speak.”

Ekane was a vocal critic of President Paul Biya, who won the October 12th election and was sworn in for his eighth consecutive term on November 6.

Biya has held office since 1982, and by securing another seven-year term, he will likely remain in power until he is nearly 100 years old. In 2008, he abolished term limits and has faced allegations of corruption, embezzlement, poor governance, and a failure to address key issues.

Concerns have also been raised about the 92-year-old’s health and ability to govern, with his office banning reporting on his health in 2024 following false reports that he died.

The main opposition candidate for the October 12th election was Issa Tchiroma, who initially claimed victory on October 20th. Biya’s government announced measures against early claims of victory, leading to young Cameroonians guarding Tchiroma’s home due to fears of his arrest.

On November 24th, it was reported that Tchiroma had sought refuge in Gambia due to fears for his safety, after being accused by Biya’s government of inciting “violent post-election demonstrations.”

The UN estimated on November 5th that at least 48 people were killed during a violent crackdown of post-election protests by Cameroonian security forces.

Tchiroma described the election results, which were released on October 27th, as “truncated results” designed to grant Biya a “fictitious victory.” The results were released by Cameroon’s Constitutional Court and cannot be appealed.

The only female candidate, Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, stated that the elections did not reflect the Cameroonian people’s “sovereign will.” She denounced widespread irregularities, manipulation and “repeated violations of the law.”

Another opposition candidate, Maurice Kamto, was excluded from standing for election following a Constitutional Court ruling on August 8th.

Kamto was also subject to a two-day police stakeout at his home between June 8th and 9th, which prevented him from holding party meetings.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org