The Cameroonian government has firmly dismissed widespread reports questioning the health of President Paul Biya, calling such rumors “pure fantasy.” Biya, 91, has not been seen in public since attending a China-Africa forum in Beijing in early September, fueling speculation about his well-being after missing a key summit in France last weekend.
“Rumours of all kinds have been circulating through the conventional media and social networks about the president’s condition,” said government spokesperson Rene Sadi in a statement on Tuesday. “The Government unequivocally states that these rumours are pure fantasy … and hereby issues a formal denial.”
Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader, was notably absent from a gathering of French-speaking nations in Paris, an absence that drew considerable attention. His prolonged public silence has stirred concerns among opposition parties and civil society groups, who have demanded clarity on his health and whereabouts. Sadi explained that after his visit to China, Biya had made a private trip to Europe and assured the public that the president is in “good health” and will return to Cameroon “in the coming days.”
Concerns over Biya’s health have grown more pronounced given his age and the lack of a clear succession plan. Should Biya’s leadership come to an end, the political uncertainty could destabilize Cameroon, a nation already battling a secessionist conflict in its Anglophone regions and a deadly insurgency from Boko Haram in the north.
A non-Cameroonian African minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, voiced concerns about the future, saying, “He’s over 90, he hasn’t been involved in day-to-day business for a long time, but if he dies, the situation is likely to get out of hand. No one has prepared for the aftermath.”
Cameroon, a key cocoa and oil producer, has only had two leaders since gaining independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s. As Biya approaches his 42nd year in power, the future of his administration and the country’s stability remain points of growing uncertainty.
