Paul Biya, the long-serving President of Cameroon since 1982 and the world’s oldest head of state, arrived back in Yaoundé on Thursday, August 20. His return followed an absence of more than two months, which had intensified a heated national discussion regarding his capacity to govern the country.
The Cameroonian leader, who is 93 years old, had departed from Yaoundé on June 7 for what the presidency described as a “short private stay in Europe.” Reports from the Cameroonian press indicated that he was in Geneva, Switzerland, accompanied by his family and a select group of his closest aides.
After spending 73 days outside the country, Paul Biya was seen leaving Yaoundé airport, acknowledging the gathered crowd with a wave through the slightly open window of his vehicle. He was en route to his official residence, the Etoudi Palace, alongside his wife, Chantal Biya. Dozens of supporters from the presidential party, some adorned in fabric featuring the president’s image, had assembled at the airport to greet him in a celebratory atmosphere.
The health of Paul Biya, a frequent visitor to Geneva, has long been the subject of widespread speculation, with some rumors occasionally refuted by the government. On June 18, René Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister of Communication, issued a denial regarding reports in the press that the Cameroonian leader had been hospitalized in a Geneva clinic.
This unusually prolonged absence reignited discussions about the perceived stagnation within the Cameroonian government and drew sharp criticism from the opposition. Opponents denounced an “institutional void” and characterized the nation as being on “autopilot,” especially as the appointment of a new government and a vice-president had been anticipated for several months.
A ‘spectacle’
Gilles Owono, a 30-year-old educator who was present at the airport to welcome the head of state, offered a defense: “For a democracy like ours, it’s natural for a president’s extended absence to provoke questions. However, it did not alter the country’s operations, which continued to function.”
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 monitors the files submitted to him by his collaborators.”
Nevertheless, these repeated absences, spanning more than two decades, continue to fuel frustration among many Cameroonians. Prosper Nkou Mvondo, leader of the opposition Univers party, sharply criticized the situation, stating, “It makes no difference whether he is here or not. When he is here, he does nothing. Therefore, I don’t believe it’s necessary to participate in this spectacle.”
A previous re-election of Paul Biya for an eighth term in October 2025 had triggered violent protests, which were met with repression—the government acknowledged “several dozens” of fatalities without providing precise figures. The results, disputed by the opposition, were met with some reservation from Western diplomatic missions.
This extended period away from Cameroon also intensified speculation regarding the post-Biya era, accelerating the unofficial race for succession, though the future remains shrouded in uncertainty. In the event of a power vacuum and without a designated vice-president, the President of the Senate, Aboubakary Abdoulaye, would be constitutionally tasked with assuming interim leadership until a presidential election could be organized.