Martins Olasehinde
Cameroon has assured that its nonagenarian President is well, following his long absence from the central African country.
“The President is in good health and will be back in the country any moment from now,” Rene Emmanuel Sadi, minister of communication and government spokesman, said in a statement read on state radio broadcaster.
Biya, who has not been seen in public since attending the China-Africa forum in Beijing in early September, sparked concerns when he failed to attend a summit in France last weekend.
His absence fueled speculation about the nonagenarian leader’s well-being.
“Rumours of all kinds have been circulating through the conventional media and social networks about the president’s condition,” government spokesperson Sadi said in a statement.
“The Government unequivocally states that these rumours are pure fantasy … and hereby issues a formal denial.”
Opposition parties and civil society organizations have been demanding an official update on the health status and whereabouts of President Paul Biya.
Biya’s recent absence from the summit of French-speaking leaders in Paris is disturbing, according to three African ministers who attended the two-day event.
“He’s over 90, he hasn’t been involved in day-to-day business for a long time, but if he dies, the situation is likely to get out of hand,” said one of the ministers, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“No one has prepared for the aftermath. We don’t know what Cameroon (would) be like without Paul Biya.”