CAMEROON'S 93-YEAR-OLD PRESIDENT RETURNS AFTER 73-DAY ABSENCE

Cameroon's President Paul Biya returned to Yaoundé on Thursday after a 73-day absence abroad, landing from Geneva where he had remained since 7 June. Biya, aged 93 and the world's oldest serving head of state, left the airport alongside first lady Chantal Biya, waving from a car en route to the presidential palace. Dozens of ruling party supporters gathered at the airport to welcome him home, some wearing clothes bearing his image. His office had described the extended stay in Switzerland as "a short private stay", whilst Cameroonian media reported he had been accompanied by family members and close aides.

Biya has led Cameroon since 1982. His health has long been the subject of speculation, often linked to his frequent stays in Geneva. In June, the government's Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi denied media reports that Biya had been hospitalised at a Geneva clinic. The unusually prolonged absence provoked criticism from opposition figures, who described an "institutional vacuum" and characterised the country as operating on "autopilot". James Fame Ndongo, a senior ruling party figure and higher education minister, dismissed claims of a power vacuum, insisting the president had continued to oversee state affairs throughout his time abroad.

The extended absence reflects a pattern that has generated growing frustration among some Cameroonians over the past two decades. Teacher Giles Owono stated that whilst a president's prolonged absence raises normal questions in a democracy, it had not altered the country's functioning. The appointment of a new government and vice-president remained pending at the time of Biya's return.