Paul Biya, Cameroon’s president since 1982 and recognized as the world’s longest-serving head of state, made his return to Yaoundé on Thursday, August 20. This followed an absence of more than two months, a period that intensely reignited national controversy regarding his ongoing fitness to lead the country.
The 93-year-old Cameroonian leader had departed Yaoundé on June 7 for what the presidency officially termed a “short private stay in Europe.” According to reports from Cameroonian media, he was situated in Geneva, Switzerland, accompanied by his family and a close circle of collaborators.
After 73 days away from the nation, Paul Biya was observed leaving Yaoundé airport, offering a wave to the assembled crowd through the slightly ajar window of his vehicle. He was en route to his official residence, the Etoudi Palace, alongside his wife, Chantal Biya. Dozens of activists from the presidential party, some proudly displaying fabric adorned with the president’s likeness, had gathered at the airport to greet him amidst a festive atmosphere.
President Paul Biya’s health, a frequent subject of widespread speculation and often refuted by government officials, consistently generates rumors, particularly concerning his regular visits to Geneva. On June 18, for instance, Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi issued a public denial regarding press articles that alleged the Cameroonian leader’s hospitalization in a Geneva clinic.
This unusually prolonged absence revitalized discussions about the perceived inertia within the Cameroonian government. It also drew sharp criticism from opposition groups, who lambasted an “institutional vacuum” and characterized the country as operating on “autopilot.” Such strong reactions came at a time when the appointments of a new government and a vice-president had been anticipated for several months.
“Spectacle”
Gilles Owono, a 30-year-old teacher who was among those at the airport to welcome the head of state, offered a defense: “For a democracy such as ours, it is natural for a president’s extended absence to prompt inquiries. Yet, this situation has not altered the country’s functioning; operations have continued unabated.”
In late July, James Fame Ndongo, a senior official within the presidential party and Minister of Higher Education, dismissed allegations of a power vacuum. He firmly argued that “wherever he may be, the head of state meticulously reviews the dossiers submitted to him by his collaborators.”
However, these repeated absences, a pattern observed for over two decades, continue to foster widespread frustration among many Cameroonians. Prosper Nkou Mvondo, leader of the opposition party Univers, vehemently criticized the welcoming event, stating, “It makes no difference whether he is present or not. When he is here, he achieves nothing. Therefore, I do not believe it is necessary to partake in this spectacle.”
The re-election of Paul Biya to an eighth term in October 2025 had been marked by the bloody suppression of protests – with the government acknowledging “several dozen” fatalities, though without providing an exact count. The election results, which were contested by the opposition, had also been met with a degree of reservation from Western diplomatic missions.
This extended period abroad also intensified speculation surrounding the post-Biya era, seemingly accelerating the unstated competition for his succession, which remains largely undefined. In the event of a power vacuum, and prior to the appointment of a vice-president, the responsibility would fall upon the President of the Senate, Aboubakary Abdoulaye, to assume interim leadership until a presidential election could be organized.
