October 10, 2024
Is Paul Biya dead? The president of Cameroon, 91 years old and in charge of the country continuously since 1982, has not been seen in public since last September 8 and some of his absences from important diplomatic and political events have given rise to rumors about his state of health. Insistent rumors that have pushed his government into a series of denials and unpublished statements for the administration of the African country, which is always rather stingy with communication. Let’s start with the doubts about the state of health of the second head of state of the central African country: he last appeared on 8 September in Beijing together with his wife Chantal for a meeting on cooperation between China and African countries, Biya would have missed first the UN General Assembly in New York and then a meeting in France on 4 October of representatives of the French-speaking states.
As reconstructed by IlPost.it, his absence at this event – given the good relations between Cameroon and France and given his advanced age – would have triggered the rumours. Cameroon government spokesman René Emmanuel Sadi officially denied reports of the president’s death, calling them “pure fantasy”. The absence, according to Sadi, was motivated by the leader’s alleged private trips around Europe from where he will return in the next few days. The minister with the role of director of the presidential cabinet, Samuel Mvndo Ayolo, then intervened: Biya would be in Geneva, Switzerland for official commitments and his health conditions would be “excellent”. The Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Grégoire Owona, finally called on the country’s authorities to punish anyone who spreads lies about the president’s health condition.
As also highlighted by the Financial Times, this new communication strategy would be unusual given how little the Cameroonian government is inclined to dialogue with the media and public opinion. However, it would not be the first time that Biya has isolated himself and stayed away from the country for long periods. For years now he has surrounded himself with a few collaborators and in the past he stayed in Geneva for a long time, so much so that he was nicknamed “the president of the Hotel InterContinental”, the hotel where he usually stays. Although, according to the Africa Report magazine, preparations are underway at the country’s main airport to welcome him on his return, Cameroon would risk chaos if the rumors about his death were true. “Biya has not been interested in daily affairs for a long time – a minister from an African country reportedly told Reuters – if he were to die the situation would spiral out of control”. No one would be “prepared for what would happen next, we don’t know what Cameroon would be like without Paul Biya”.
#alive #dead #Time
