(Al Jazeera Media Network) Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 93, is once again the subject of death rumours.
Africa’s longest-serving president, known for his long stays away from the Central African nation he governs, only recently returned home from one of his longest stints abroad. His long absence renewed speculation about his health amid unconfirmed reports that he had been hospitalised or had even died.
Despite Biya returning to the country in late August after more than two months abroad, some are unsatisfied.
Biya’s most recent “vacation” also got Cameroonians talking about what a post-Biya future could look like as his likely successors jostle for dominance – and whether he can rule at all given the uncertainty over his health.
Cameroonians hope a government reshuffle will be announced soon. Although the president was re-elected for an eighth term in disputed elections in October last year, he has not announced a new government since.
Many are also hopeful that a vice president, preferably one who stays in the country, will finally be appointed.
Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982 under the Cameroon People’s Democratic Party (RDPC). That’s significantly longer than any of Cameroon’s under-30s, who make up 70 percent of the nation’s 30 million population, have been alive.
He is Africa’s oldest leader and among the world’s longest ruling leaders.
Under his rule, attacks by the armed group Boko Haram have continued in the country’s north while separatists are active in the west. Despite the nation’s oil wealth, the economy has largely stagnated.
Analysts said Biya, often called “the absentee president”, largely delegates governance to his cabinet. Opposition leaders have accused him of running Cameroon on “autopilot”.
The president is believed to spend extensive periods at the InterContinental Hotel in Switzerland. By 2018, he had spent a total of four and a half years on private visits abroad, according to an analysis from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. His wife, Chantal Biya, is known for her flamboyant style.
Biya’s latest re-election triggered mass protests, which were violently suppressed by security forces. Rights groups said at least 48 people were killed.
Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claimed victory, was forced into exile in The Gambia.
Tchiroma was formerly part of Biya’s government, holding several ministerial positions over 16 years. He also served as government spokesperson during the years the government fought Boko Haram, and he defended the army when it stood accused of killing civilians. He was once regarded as a member of Biya’s “old guard” but has campaigned on a promise of “change”.
