Paul Biya, the President of Cameroon since 1982 and currently the world’s longest-serving head of state, arrived back in Yaoundé on Thursday, August 20. His return follows an absence of over two months, which has reignited significant controversy within the nation regarding his continued capacity to effectively govern the country.
The 93-year-old Cameroonian leader had departed Yaoundé on June 7 for what the presidency described as a “short private stay in Europe.” According to reports from Cameroonian media, he was situated in Geneva, Switzerland, accompanied by his family and a select group of his closest collaborators.
After a 73-day period abroad, Paul Biya exited the Yaoundé airport, offering a wave to the assembled crowd through the partially open window of his car. He was en route to his official residence, the Etoudi Palace, alongside his wife, Chantal Biya. Dozens of activists from the presidential party had gathered at the airport to welcome him, creating a festive atmosphere. Many were seen wearing traditional fabrics adorned with the president’s image.
President Biya’s health is a frequent subject of speculation, given his regular stays in Geneva, often prompting official government responses. On June 18, Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi publicly refuted press articles that claimed the Cameroonian leader had been hospitalized in a Geneva clinic.
This unusually prolonged absence has revitalized discussions concerning the perceived inertia of the Cameroonian government. It also drew sharp criticism from the opposition, who lamented an “institutional vacuum” and described the nation as operating on “autopilot,” particularly as the appointment of a new government and a vice-president has been pending for several months.
‘Spectacle’
Gilles Owono, a 30-year-old teacher present at the airport to greet the head of state, offered a defense of the president’s absence. “For a democracy like ours, it’s normal for a president’s prolonged absence to raise questions. However, it hasn’t altered the country’s operations; the nation continued to function,” Owono stated.
James Fame Ndongo, a senior figure within the presidential party and Minister of Higher Education, dismissed accusations of a power vacuum in late July. He asserted that “wherever he is, the head of state meticulously reviews the files submitted to him by his collaborators.”
Nevertheless, these recurring absences, spanning more than two decades, continue to fuel frustration among many Cameroonians. “It makes no difference whether he is here or not. When he is here, he does nothing. So, I don’t believe it’s necessary to participate in this spectacle,” criticized Prosper Nkou Mvondo, leader of the opposition Univers party.
The prospect of Paul Biya’s re-election for an eighth term, anticipated in October 2025, recalls past periods of significant unrest. Previous electoral outcomes, contested by the opposition, had led to bloody demonstrations – with the government acknowledging “several dozens” of deaths without providing an exact toll. These results had also drawn reservations from Western chancelleries.
This extended stay outside Cameroon has also intensified speculation about the post-Biya era, accelerating the race for his succession, which remains shrouded in uncertainty. Until a vice-president is appointed, the President of the Senate, Aboubakary Abdoulaye, would be constitutionally mandated to assume leadership in the event of a power vacancy, pending the organization of a presidential election.
