Veteran opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in military custody in Cameroon, his family and legal representatives have said. Ekane, 74, passed away on Monday morning in Yaounde, the country's capital, 38 days after security forces detained him in the port city of Douala, France's public radio RFI reported. His death has sparked widespread outrage and threatens to deepen the political turmoil gripping Cameroon following October's disputed presidential election, which saw 92-year-old Paul Biya claim another term after more than four decades in power.
Police on Sunday fired teargas to disperse hundreds of opposition supporters in Cameroon, a day before the announcement of presidential election results. Demonstrators in Cameroon's largest city, Douala, defied protest bans to support opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who they claim beat the country's longtime leader Paul Biya. "We want Tchiroma, we want Tchiroma!" chanted protesters who barricaded roads.
This century, several aging African leaders have also had to reject premature reports of their deaths, like Cameroon's Paul Biya last year when rumours of his demise spread on social media after he wasn't seen in public for a month. It turned out the 92-year-old, who has the distinction of being the world's oldest, non-royal, leader, was simply in residence at his second home in Switzerland.