Is Paul Biya dead? : Cameroon’s president absence fuels death rumours

The prolonged absence of Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, has ignited rumors that the 91-year-old leader may have passed away in a military hospital in France.

These speculations have gained momentum following his extended absence after the China-Africa Summit in September, despite being scheduled to return to the country immediately after the event.

Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for 42 years since assuming office on November 6, 1982, is Africa’s second longest-serving president and the oldest head of state in the world.

His absence has fueled further rumors that France may be positioning his eldest son, Franck Emmanuel Biya, to succeed him for the sake of “continuity.”

In a post on X, a Cameroonian citizen, @Okahewahedede wrote, “Paul Biya ruled Cameroon for 42 years and almost destroyed the country. Now he is dead and France is doing everything possible to make his eldest son, Franck Emmanuel Biya, his successor.”

Another Cameroonian, @jordanly00, said, “This is nothing new, he hasn’t been running the country for a while.

“These neocolonial successors have already started to wage the war of succession…they are only waiting for the last wish of the great Biya ‘To die in power’ as he had already predicted this year 2024.

As speculation swirls, the government’s silence continues to fuel public uncertainty about Cameroon’s political future.