European Trip Stretches to Two Months, Raising Questions About the Health of Paul Biya, the World’s Longest-Serving President

In 1984, when Paul Biya secured victory in his first presidential election in Cameroon, Nformi Bime was a 23-year-old student. Bime is now a 65-year-old retiree, while Biya, at the age of 93, remains president.

An eighth term, which he won last year, could keep Biya in office until he is nearly 100.

The president has not returned to Cameroon since June 7. His office described his departure as a “brief private stay in Europe,” but it has turned into his longest uninterrupted absence from the country in recent years.

René Emmanuel Sadi, the government spokesman, said last week that Biya was in Geneva, Switzerland. He denied reports that the president had been hospitalized because of deteriorating health but provided no further details.

Since Cameroon gained independence in 1960, Biya has been only the country’s second president and ranks among the world’s longest-serving leaders. He took power in 1982 and won his first election two years later, having led the country for more than four decades since then.

Although he has previously taken extended trips outside Cameroon, his current absence has again raised concerns about the president’s health and how the country is governed when he is away.

Speculation about Biya’s health has circulated repeatedly. In 2024, the authorities barred the media from discussing the issue, deeming it a matter of national security.

For millions of Cameroonians, no other president has ever led the country. Abit Riassai Acha, 26, says Biya’s presidency has spanned his entire life.

Acha said that while growing up, Biya was the only president he had ever known. In the latest election, the 26-year-old supported opposition candidate Samuel Hiram Iyodi.

Iyodi has asked parliament to assess whether Biya’s prolonged absence creates a vacancy in the presidency. However, the ruling party’s dominance makes the initiative unlikely to succeed.

Although he is outside Cameroon, Biya has continued to make decisions on state affairs, including a sweeping military reshuffle. The government spokesman has told citizens that “President Paul Biya is alive” and that he “will return soon.”

Nformi Bime recalls that Biya was once perceived as the embodiment of change. When his name first appeared on the ballot in 1984, Bime saw him as “a representation of hope.”

More than four decades later, critics argue that dissatisfaction with Biya stems not only from his long tenure but also from the fact that a range of Cameroon’s problems remain unresolved.

According to political analyst Collins Molua Ikome, concerns include poor road infrastructure, power outages, corruption and a lack of employment opportunities for young people.

Professor Wilson Tamfuh believes Cameroonian institutions can continue operating even when the president delegates his duties to others. However, he emphasizes the question of whether the government is addressing long-standing problems.

Those challenges include separatist clashes in English-speaking regions, Boko Haram attacks in the north, unemployment and economic difficulties.

Another source of concern is the healthcare system. Ikome notes that many Cameroonians do not receive quality care, while members of the political elite, including Biya, can seek treatment abroad.

Bime wonders whether he will still be alive when Cameroon has another president. After waiting decades for change, he fears that Biya may outlive him and many other fellow citizens.

In conclusion, Bime said that whenever leaders fall ill, they travel abroad for treatment, while other Cameroonians die because they lack the care they need.