Cameroon: After Long Absence, Officials Say Biya In “Excellent” Condition

Senior Cameroonian officials have said the country’s President, Paul Biya is in “excellent” health condition, after his absence from public scene in the last one month.

This had sparked concern on the condition of the the 91-year-old leader who has been in power since 1982.

Biya was last seen in public space on September 8 when he attended a China-Africa forum in Beijing.

He was conspicuously absent in key national and global events which he was scheduled to attend, including the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York.

In a statement on Wednesday, the country’s head of civil cabinet said Biya was well, denouncing what “mischievous individuals” speculate about the President’s health and “eventual death”.

“The head of state continues to exercise his duties in Geneva and has never departed the [Swiss] city following his visit to Beijing,” Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, director of the civil cabinet said.

The octogenarian leader has come under sever criticism for the amount of time he spends outside the country apparently in medical tourism, especially in Switzerland.

In 2018, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that since coming to power over four decades ago, Biya had spent the equivalent of four-and-a-half years on overseas trips.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva is said to be his favourite destination.

In a separate statement, government spokesperson René Sadi said Biya would return to Cameroon “in the next few days” without specifying when, dismissing reports of Biya’s ailing health as “pure fantasy”.

Biya who served as the Prime Minister for 7 years from 1975 to 1982 before becoming President was eyeing the number one office after the expiration of his current tenure.

His decision to contest again to lead the Central African country was disclosed by the founder of the Foreign Press Association Africa, Kennedy Wandera, citing news media, The EastAfrican.

“Cameroon is due to hold its next presidential election in 2025, longtime President Paul Biya will be 93. He has confirmed that he will contest,” the report read.

It added, “If he wins the election, and completes the new seven-year mandate, Biya will be 100 years in 2032.”

According to the report, Biya who has ruled his country with iron feast has also decided to delay the polls till 2026 to allow him adequate time for preparation for the contest.