ADDS STATEMENT BY EU DELEGATION TO THE COUNTRY
By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Cameroon’s opposition leader Anicet Ekane, who was arrested in October on charges of insurrection, died on Monday in detention, his lawyer said. He was 74.
Lawyer Emmanuel Simh told reporters that Ekane had been detained on the gendarmerie premises since his arrest on Oct. 24 on charges of insurrection.
Simh alleged that Ekane was “critically sick, but denied appropriate treatment” while in custody.
Ekane’s party also described his death as “deliberate killing, state crime” in a post on the US social media company X's platform.
But the country's Defense Ministry said the deceased suffered from chronic pathologies and benefited from “appropriate care by the Military Medical Corps,” in consultation with his personal doctors.
“The deceased, who suffered from various chronic illnesses, had been hospitalized at the National Gendarmerie Military Medical Center,” the ministry said.
The ministry said an investigation was initiated to establish the exact circumstances of Ekane’s death.
Ekane, who headed the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party, was arrested along with other top opposition figures amid protests that rocked the country over allegations of fraud in the recent presidential election.
The arrest in Cameroon’s commercial capital Douala came after he declared support for Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the man who presented formidable challenge to President Paul Biya in the Oct.12 presidential election.
Biya, 92, was declared the winner of the election, which Tchiroma claimed to have won.
Massive protests erupted in Cameroon's economic capital, Douala, capital Yaounde and other towns in October against President Biya’s government over alleged presidential election fraud. At least five people were reported to have been killed during the protests.
Tchiroma last month sought refuge in the Gambia, citing his safety concerns in the wake of recent political tensions.
Meanwhile, the European Union Delegation to Cameroon said it had taken note of the statement by Cameroon's defense minister announcing the opening of an investigation to “establish with precision the circumstances surrounding” Ekane’s death.
The delegation referred to the remarks of the EU’s spokesperson in October, which underscored among other things the need to ensure the safety and physical integrity of all political actors and called for justice in order to tackle instances of excessive use of violence and human rights violations.
The EU “reiterates once again the European Union’s call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since presidential election,” the statement said.
On Nov. 6, the communications minister said “several hundred” people were detained following protests.
Last month, the Human Rights Watch said it reviewed five lists compiled by pro-opposition lawyers with the names of 312 people detained.