After an absence spanning more than two months, Paul Biya, Cameroon’s president since 1982 and the world’s longest-serving head of state, made his return to Yaoundé on Thursday, August 20. His prolonged absence immediately reignited intense national debate concerning his continued fitness to govern the central African nation.

The 93-year-old Cameroonian leader had departed Yaoundé on June 7, embarking on what the presidency described as a “brief private visit to Europe.” Local media outlets reported that he spent this period in Geneva, Switzerland, accompanied by his family and a select group of his closest aides.

Following a 73-day sojourn outside the country, President Biya exited the Yaoundé airport, offering a wave to the assembled crowd through the partially lowered window of his vehicle. He was en route to his official residence, the Etoudi Palace, accompanied by his wife, Chantal Biya. Dozens of supporters from the presidential party, some adorned in traditional fabrics bearing the president’s image, had gathered at the airport, creating a vibrant, celebratory atmosphere for his arrival.

President Paul Biya’s health, a frequent subject of speculation given his regular stays in Geneva, often generates rumors, which the government occasionally refutes. On June 18, for instance, Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi publicly dismissed reports circulating in the press that the Cameroonian leader had been hospitalized at a Geneva clinic.

This extended and unprecedented period away from the country reignited widespread discussions about the perceived inertia within the Cameroonian government. It also drew sharp criticism from opposition factions, who decried an “institutional void” and described the nation as being on “autopilot,” particularly as the appointments of a new government and a vice-president have been anticipated for several months.

“Spectacle”

“In a democracy such as ours, it is entirely normal for a president’s prolonged absence to provoke questions,” stated Gilles Owono, a 30-year-old teacher who was present at the airport to greet the head of state. He added, “However, this period changed nothing regarding the nation’s operations; the country continued to function.”

James Fame Ndongo, a senior figure within the presidential party and the Minister of Higher Education, dismissed allegations of a power vacuum in late July. He asserted that “wherever he may be, the head of state meticulously reviews the dossiers presented to him by… his collaborators.”

Nevertheless, these recurring absences, a pattern observed for over two decades, continue to fuel significant frustration among many Cameroonians. Prosper Nkou Mvondo, leader of the opposition party Univers, expressed his exasperation: “It makes no difference whether he is present or not. When he is here, he accomplishes nothing. Therefore, I see no reason to participate in this spectacle.”

The reelection of Paul Biya to an eighth term in October 2025 had previously triggered protests that were met with violent repression. The government acknowledged “several dozens” of fatalities but never provided an exact count. The election results, vehemently contested by the opposition, also generated a degree of apprehension among Western diplomatic missions.

This extended period away from Cameroon also intensified speculation regarding the “after-Biya” era, accelerating the unofficial race for his succession, a process that remains largely uncertain. In the absence of a named vice-president, the responsibility would fall to the President of the Senate, Aboubakary Abdoulaye, to assume interim leadership should a power vacuum arise, pending the organization of a presidential election.