President Paul Biya returned to Cameroon on Thursday after 73 days abroad, AFP journalists noted, an unusually long absence that has fuelled speculation about the 93-year-old’s health.
The world’s oldest serving head of state and Cameroon’s leader since 1982, Biya landed at around 1600 GMT from Geneva, where he had been staying since June 7 on what his office called “a short private stay”.
Leaving Yaounde airport, Biya waved from his car to dozens of supporters who had gathered to welcome him home, some wearing cloth bearing the president’s image.
Biya’s health has long been the subject of rumours, often linked to his frequent stays in Geneva.
On June 18, Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi denied reports that Biya had been hospitalised at a Geneva clinic.
His absence sparked sharp criticism from the opposition, which condemned an “institutional vacuum” and a country on “autopilot” while the appointment of a new government and vice-president has been pending for months.
Biya’s repeated absences over the past two decades have become a source of frustration for many Cameroonians.
His re-election to an eighth term in October 2025 triggered protests that were violently suppressed. The authorities acknowledged several dozen deaths but did not provide a definitive toll.
AFP
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