A prominent gay rights and human rights leader in Cameroon has been killed in an alleged anti-gay attack.

Human Rights Watch released a statement on Tuesday saying that friends of Eric Ohena Lembembe, had said his body was found at his home in the capital city Yaounde on Monday evening, after he had been unreachable for two days.

One of his friend said his neck and feet had looked broken, and that he had been burned with an iron, reports the Associated Press.

Mr Lembembe was the executive director of CAMFAIDS, a human rights organisation.

In a statement on 1 July, he condemned break-ins by “anti-gay thugs”, at the offices of groups advocating for gay rights.

Human Rights Watch urged officials in Cameroon to launch an investigation, as the precise motive for his killing was unclear.