Par
Souleymane Loum
| 8 hours ago
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This Africa out of phase and out of touch, this part of the continent completely disconnected from the habits and customs of modern democracies, from the sense of history… The President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, at 91 years old, is undoubtedly one of the relics of this post-colonial Africa that leaders like Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (44) have made outdated. And we should rejoice, good news of this type is still needed, much more, in this continent, entire sections of which are sclerotic, clinging to practices from another time…
Chronicle of a national tragedy foretold
Is holding everything, deciding everything at 91 years old reasonable? Doing nothing at the age of 91 to prepare for his succession in order to spare his country the chaos of a poorly planned transition, with this devastated political landscape, is this reasonable? Doing nothing to preserve the country’s achievements, its own heritage, while the rebellion rumbles, is this what we expect of a leader worthy of the name? Obviously No, no to all these questions. If ridicule killed Humanity would lose half of its population. In Cameroon it takes a tragic turn.
We only talk about the prolonged absence of the head of state, disappearance is the appropriate term since we have not seen him since the beginning of last September. This is far too much for an omnipotent man, who has been running everything, all alone, for 41 years. I am not talking to you about a ceremonial president, a puppet head of state or a constitutional monarch, I am talking to you about a real President of the Republic, in a presidential – some would say autocratic – regime.
Obviously conjectures and speculations about the state of health of President Biya are flying, copiously fueled by these fire accelerators that are social networks. Here it takes very little to cause an immense blaze, but in this case we would not stop there if it were not the future of an entire country, of 28 million inhabitants, which was at stake. When you disappear for more than a month, with the power and functions that are yours, it inevitably raises questions, it causes anxiety.
No news from Biya since he traveled to Beijing as part of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (Focac), organized from September 4 to 6, 2024. He was expected at the 79th United Nations General Assembly, then at the Francophonie summit organized in France, he did not come even though all his peers were there to debate major subjects. The head of state also avoided the final of the Cameroon Cup, a football match which ends the sporting season, and we know the place of football in the country.
So a former presidential candidate did better than worry in his corner, last week he sent a letter to the director of the office of the Presidency of the Republic, Christian Ntimbane, to inquire about Biya. “If he’s on vacation, say so. If he is sick, say that too. A President of the Republic can fall ill“, he wrote in this missive.
The government took its time before responding yesterday, Tuesday, October 8. President Biya “granted a brief private stay in Europe” et “will join Cameroon in the next few days“. The brief official statement brushes aside the torrent of rumors and underlines “the excellent state of health of the head of state who works and goes about his business in Geneva“. In Geneva (Switzerland) to do what? In any case, the presidential agenda had not said it before the rumors grew and the palace was questioned.
Sassou-Nguesso, Teodoro Obiang, Bongo father and son…: Biya is not the only drama on the continent
The presidential office will say no more and the citizens will know no more. This shows the extent to which certain all-powerful African leaders have objectified their voters, well, if we can call them elections. It is not only in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, etc., where we see such infantilization of populations, in Africa too, much less than a few decades ago, we must recognize it, but still.
It took a video to be released on a private opposition television channel based in the USA for the Cameroonian authorities to deign to provide, at a minimum, explanations for Biya’s disappearance, and still no one has taken it at face value. the official version. Africa Broadcasting Service (ABS) announced yesterday, Tuesday, October 8, that President Biya is dead, information that the channel received from French, Cameroonian and Swiss sources…
It will take a lot to convince otherwise. Even before this long absence, televised speeches were rare, and when there were they were recorded – never live – and it was clear that the man was in declining health. On the other hand, the First Lady shines, at 53 years old and has her hands on many levers…
What about the future of this country mired in two deadly conflicts, with an army fighting against jihadists in the far north and against armed separatists in the west populated by the English-speaking minority? President Biya does not care much about the future of Cameroon, otherwise he would have organized his succession a long time ago, instead of bullying and imprisoning his opponents.
Too many mandates, of unreason, are still legion in Africa, unfortunately: Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, aged 80, has almost 40 years at the head of his country; Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 82 years old, has been in power since 1979 and in addition he is preparing his son to succeed him, a sad fate which struck Gabon and which was stopped dead by the coup d’état of August 2023 (the Bongo dynasty reigned for 55 years, 41 years for the father and 14 for the son). This is also Africa. The good news is that these post-colonial remains are an endangered species.
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Absence, Africa, Cameroonian army, Cameroon, conflict, disappearance, jihadists, state of health, far north, Geneva, armed separatists, illness, English-speaking minority, Paul Biya, Cameroon president, Switzerland
