Maurice Kamto, leader of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC), has issued a statement denouncing the state authorities' continued withholding of the body of Anicet Ekane, president of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem). Ekane died on December 1, 2025, while in detention at the State Secretariat for Defense (SED) following his arrest on October 24, 2025.
Kamto points out that Ekane's arrest occurred after clashes related to the presidential election of October 12, 2025. He criticizes the conditions of his detention, stating that Ekane was deprived of necessary medical assistance. According to Kamto, three months after Ekane's death, the circumstances surrounding his death have still not been clarified, and his body has not been returned to his family, preventing them from organizing his funeral and mourning.
"We strongly denounce these barbaric and inhumane practices worthy of the most obscurantist dictatorships," Kamto wrote in his statement. He believes that this retention of the body reinforces the feeling of a political assassination. Kamto demands that the Cameroonian authorities release Anicet Ekane's body and return it to his family.
Anicet Ekane, a figure in the Cameroonian opposition, was arrested in the context of the post-election crisis. His death in detention sparked strong reactions and calls for an impartial investigation. Human Rights Watch notably highlighted the responsibility of the Cameroonian authorities in Ekane's death, insisting on the need to determine the causes of death and establish accountability.
Before his death, Ekane had supported Maurice Kamto's candidacy in the presidential election. Kamto had also paid an emotional tribute to Ekane, denouncing a "political assassination". The continued withholding of his body continues to provoke outrage and calls for justice.
