By ABT NEWS | www.abtnews.net
(Yaoundé, Cameroon) — The world’s oldest head of state has seemingly vanished into thin air! Cameroon’s 93-year-old President Paul Biya, who has maintained an iron grip on his nation since 1982, left the country on June 7 for what was officially dubbed a “brief private stay” in Europe. Fast forward over two months, and the man whom millions of Cameroonians have exclusively known as their leader is nowhere to be found!
A Nation on Autopilot?
As days turn into months, anxiety and wild speculation have reached a fever pitch. With no vice president to take the reins, opposition leaders are sounding the alarm, claiming the Central African nation is currently flying on “autopilot,” according to several reports. The timing could not be more critical. As detailed by KOHA.net, the country is currently grappling with multiple compounding crises:
- An ongoing armed insurgency by Boko Haram militants in the north.
- A bloody separatist conflict in the western regions.
- A stagnating economy that is severely affecting a population where over 70% of citizens are under the age of 35.
Despite a strict government ban on discussing the president’s health—deemed a matter of national security—rumors are exploding across the continent. Is the 93-year-old leader, who secured his eighth consecutive term in 2025, secretly incapacitated?
Government Scrambles to Control the Narrative
Desperate to quell the mounting chaos, government officials are offering a chaotic mix of excuses. As covered by The Guardian, officials have issued conflicting statements regarding his whereabouts:
- The “Working From Home” Defense: Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi vehemently denied the rumors, insisting that the president is alive, well, and simply “working from Geneva”.
- The “Meticulous Worker” Claim: Jacques Fame Ndongo, a senior ruling party official and higher education minister, insisted the president has been “meticulously following the files submitted to him by his aides”.
- The “PTO” Excuse: Labour Minister Grégoire Owona bizarrely compared the nonagenarian autocrat to an everyday employee, claiming Biya is merely taking his “annual leave” and that his “employer” (the Cameroonian people) had to grant it.
Whether he is reviewing state documents from the luxurious five-star InterContinental hotel in Geneva or facing serious, undisclosed health battles, one thing is absolutely certain: Cameroon is a nation holding its collective breath. If Biya remains in power until the end of his current term, he will leave office at nearly 100 years of age. But for now, the entire world is left asking: Where on earth is President Paul Biya?!
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