Twenty-four hours after the body of Anicet Ekane was returned to his family, the Cameroonian government released the findings of the autopsy. EKANE Anicet Georges, 74 years old and president of the African Movement for a New Independence and Democracy (Manidem), died on December 1, 2025, at the Military Medical Center of the National Gendarmerie in Yaoundé.
Following this death, the Ministry of Defense announced the opening of an investigation by the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie, as well as the prescription of a medico-legal autopsy to clarify the circumstances of the death.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, the autopsy report was submitted to the Government Commissioner at the Military Court of Yaoundé on Monday, February 23, 2026. This report, prepared by a panel consisting of a professor and two medical doctors, is based on the results of additional examinations carried out at the University Center of Legal Medicine in Switzerland. The findings indicate a total absence of traumatic injury and the presence of serious pathologies affecting a patient with a significant medical history. The report thus concludes that the death was natural, according to the statement signed by the head of the Communication Division of the Ministry of Defense.
The death of Anicet Ekane in detention had sparked strong reactions and accusations of negligence. His lawyers had denounced the harsh detention conditions and the lack of access to care, pointing out that he suffered from respiratory problems requiring an oxygen concentrator. Ekane's party, Manidem, had called his death a "crime of state". The family had initially refused a government autopsy, requesting independent expertise.
In a separate development, in Senegal, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has introduced a bill to toughen penalties for homosexuality, sparking debate about LGBTQ+ rights and the influence of Western values. The bill plans to double the maximum prison sentence from five to ten years for homosexual acts.
