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Biya returns to Yaoundé
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya returned to the country on Thursday after a 73-day absence abroad, landing in Yaoundé from Geneva where he had been since June 7 on what his office described as a “short private stay.”
“President Paul Biya returned Thursday to Cameroon after staying abroad for more than two months”
The 93-year-old leader, who has led Cameroon since 1982, arrived at Yaoundé’s international airport aboard a flight from Geneva, Switzerland, and was accompanied by First Lady Chantal Biya as he left the airport for the presidential palace.
AP said Biya’s return followed more than two months away that raised concerns about his health and a possible power vacuum, noting that Cameroon does not have a vice president in the period described by the report.
Reuters reported Biya touched down around 4.45 p.m. local time (1545 pm GMT) and departed in a motorcade for the Etoudi Unity Palace after arriving on a chartered flight from Geneva.
The prolonged absence fueled speculation about who was running the country, with opposition figures describing the situation as being run on “autopilot” while ruling party figures dismissed claims of a power vacuum.
Opposition, supporters, and denials
At the airport, Biya was greeted by dozens of supporters of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), and Reuters said he waved through a half-open window to hundreds of supporters lining the streets of the capital.
France 24 reported that the opposition criticized Biya’s long absence, condemning an “institutional vacuum” and a country on “autopilot,” while it also said the appointment of a new government and a vice-president had been pending for months.
Communications Minister René Emmanuel Sadi denied reports that Biya had been hospitalized at a clinic in Geneva on June 18, according to France 24.
AP said Biya’s close collaborators were at the airport on Thursday, but it reported that he was not shown descending from the plane and held no briefings, while he was seen waving to supporters from his vehicle.
France 24 quoted teacher Giles Owono, 30, saying, “For a democracy like ours, it's normal for a president's prolonged absence to raise questions. But it changed nothing in the functioning of the country,” as he defended the return’s impact.
Succession questions remain
Reuters said that under Cameroon's constitution, in the absence of a vice president, the president of the Senate should assume interim duties if the presidency is declared vacant due to death, resignation or permanent incapacity.
“the president of the Senate should assume interim duties”
It also reported that Biya had not appointed a vice president despite the reintroduction of the role last April, and that critics said the lack of a clear succession framework raises uncertainty about a potential transition.
AP said the opposition described the country as being run on “autopilot” because without a vice president, an appointment Biya has full control over, and it noted that Cameroon’s parliament reinstated the vice president’s post in April.
The New York Times reported that authorities banned public discussions of Biya’s health in 2024 as speculation about his absences grew, and it said that during his latest stint overseas in Switzerland, the president issued official statements but did not appear on camera.
Reuters added that opposition politicians called on the Constitutional Council to examine whether someone should fill in as head of state during the president's absence, and it reported that the council did not take any action.
