Cameroon’s President Biya returns after a long stay abroad raises health concerns
The 93-year-old leader’s return ended weeks of speculation about his health and succession, while opposition figures had pressed the Constitutional Council to act.
- On Thursday, 93-year-old President Paul Biya returned to Cameroon aboard a chartered flight from Geneva, Switzerland, ending his longest recorded stay abroad of more than 10 weeks.
- Biya departed on June 7 for what his civil cabinet described as "a brief private stay in Europe," a prolonged absence that fueled widespread speculation regarding his health and capacity to govern.
- Accompanied by First Lady Chantal Biya, the president touched down around 4.45 p.m. at Nsimalen International Airport, where supporters of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement greeted his motorcade to the Etoudi Unity Palace.
- Opposition politicians had urged the Constitutional Council to examine potential succession, as Biya has not appointed a vice president despite reintroducing the role, creating uncertainty about a transition.
- Under Cameroon's constitution, the Senate president would assume interim duties if the presidency became vacant due to permanent incapacity, though the Constitutional Council took no action during the president's recent absence.
42 Articles
42 Articles
The president of Cameroon, who stays very regularly at the end of the lake, made his return Thursday night in the capital Yaoundé after a "short private stay in Europe" of more than two months. His long absence revived a heated controversy about his ability to lead the countryPaul Biya, president of Cameroon since 1982 and dean of the heads of state in the world, returned Thursday night to Yaoundé after more than two months of absence, which rek…
(Johannesburg = Yonhap News) Correspondent Na Hak-jin = The world's oldest national leader, Cameroonian President Paul Biya (93), has returned home after spending more than two months abroad.
President since 1982, the dean of heads of state in the world returned this Thursday evening to Yaoundé, after two months of absence and a "short private stay in Europe". His state of health is closely scrutinized.
The world's oldest president, Paul Biya, had disappeared from Cameroon for months. Now the 93-year-old returned to his home country – after 74 days of absence.
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