Cameroon’s Biya returns after 10-week absence fueled health rumors
Why it matters: The 93-year-old president’s disappearance sharpened questions over succession in a system centered on the presidency.
Cameroon President Paul Biya returned to Yaounde on Aug. 20 after more than 10 weeks abroad, ending his longest recorded absence since taking power in 1982. The 93-year-old leader arrived at Nsimalen International Airport on a chartered flight from Geneva, Switzerland, after leaving Cameroon on June 7 for what his cabinet had described as a brief private stay in Europe. His prolonged absence stirred speculation about his health and who would run the state if he could no longer govern. Opposition figures had urged the Constitutional Council to consider interim leadership, but it took no action. Biya later drove to Etoudi Unity Palace as supporters lined the streets.