After a series of rumors about the state of health of President Paul Biya, the Cameroonian government denounces “tendentious comments” and assures in a press release that the head of state who “is doing well will join Cameroon in the coming days” .
“The government of the Republic states unequivocally” that the rumors circulating on social networks and in the media about the state of the president “are the fantasy and pure imagination of their authors”.
“In any case, the Head of State is doing well and will return to Cameroon in the coming days,” continues the press release signed by the government spokesperson.
In a press release, the presidency also reassured about “the excellent state of health of the Head of State who works and goes about his business in Geneva where he has never left since his arrival from Beijing.”
In recent days, questions have multiplied about his absence from the public scene since his departure from Beijing at the beginning of September, after the summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC).
The Head of State did not participate in the last UN General Assembly in New York, nor in the last Francophonie summit in Paris.
Rumors going so far as to announce his death were taken up by various media in several countries.
Last week, Christian Ntimbane, lawyer and declared candidate for the 2025 presidential election, challenged the minister director of the president’s civilian cabinet in an open letter, asking for official explanations on his “spatial situation” and on “the reasons for his prolonged absence”
At 91 years old, Paul Biya is the oldest elected leader in office. He has ruled Cameroon without sharing for more than 41 years.
Rumors about his health are numerous: he only appears for rare televised speeches, recorded and painfully delivered. Or in photos and videos of family celebrations, alongside his influential wife Chantal.
His detractors accuse him of ruling from an ivory tower from his native village of Mvomékaa, in the south, where he spends most of his time when he is not in Geneva, while Cameroon faces important security, economic and social challenges.
