On February 25, 2026, the legal representatives of Mrs. Edwige Ekane, widow of the late President Anicet Ekane, released a statement challenging the findings of the administrative inquiry into his death on December 1, 2025. The family is demanding an independent investigation, deeming the initial inquiry "unilateral" and conducted under conditions that were "not binding".
Lawyers Hippolyte BT MELI and Emmanuel SIMH denounce a procedure conducted without genuine debate, recalling that international human rights law guarantees families the right to know the truth about the circumstances of their loved ones' deaths. They emphasize that the Cameroonian Constitution and national laws protect the dignity and integrity of individuals, even after death.
The statement reaffirms the duty to respect the dead, their memory, and their dignity, which is binding on all, including the highest authorities.
The widow's lawyers are not only questioning the arrest but also demanding precise answers regarding the conditions of detention and the care administered to President Ekane at the National Gendarmerie Medical Center. A transparent investigation is essential to dispel suspicions surrounding the medical and prison chain of events that led to this death, deemed "sudden and troubling".
According to Cameroonian authorities, an autopsy carried out by a panel of physicians, supplemented by examinations in Switzerland, concluded that the death was due to natural causes, resulting from serious pre-existing conditions, with no signs of trauma. The Ministry of Defense stated that the autopsy report revealed "a complete absence of traumatic lesions and the existence of serious pathologies that led to the death of a patient with a significant medical history". Ekane's body was returned to his family on February 23, 2026.
The Ekane affair, who was arrested on October 24, 2025, for allegedly organizing anti-government protests following the disputed presidential election, highlights the political tensions in Cameroon. The European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom have called for a transparent investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The family, supported by human rights organizations and opposition figures like Maurice Kamto, is maintaining pressure to shed light on this case. The question of whether Cameroonian authorities will agree to reopen the case remains pending, leaving open the possibility of bringing the matter before international bodies.
