Overview
- Cameroon's defense ministry confirmed Ekane died in Yaoundé on December 1, said he succumbed to an illness, denied negligence, and announced an investigation.
- Officials said he had chronic conditions and was treated by the Military Medical Corps with input from his personal physicians, a claim his lawyers contest.
- Ekane, 74, the Manidem leader, was arrested on October 24 in Douala after supporting rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary and was charged with hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection.
- His party said an oxygen concentrator and other essential medical devices he needed were locked in his impounded vehicle at a military police station in Douala, despite repeated efforts by lawyers to retrieve them.
- The death has intensified tensions following the disputed October 12 election and a deadly protest response, as opposition figures remain detained and Tchiroma has taken refuge in Gambia.