Anicet Ekane, a prominent rival of President Paul Biya, has died in detention in Cameroon, his lawyer announced on Monday.
Ekane had been held since his arrest on 24 October, when authorities launched a sweeping crackdown on protests that followed the disputed presidential election.
He was accused of backing opposition figure Issa Tchiroma, who had declared himself the winner of the vote in defiance of official results. The government treated Tchiroma’s claim as an act of subversion. Dozens of people were killed as security forces moved to crush the unrest. Tchiroma has since fled into exile in Gambia.
On 21 November, Ekane’s party, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), accused police of endangering his life by confiscating essential medical equipment. The party said his oxygen concentrator was left inside his vehicle, which had been seized by police in the economic capital Douala.
MANIDEM condemned the confiscation as “gravely dangerous” to Ekane’s health. The veteran left-wing politician was regarded as a key figure in Cameroon’s radical and socialist opposition.