CAMEROON: Opposition, CSOs seek clarity despite govt claims over health of 91-yr-old President Biya - Ripples Nigeria
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CAMEROON: Opposition, CSOs seek clarity despite govt claims over health of 91-yr-old President Biya

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Cameroon’s President Biya seeks 7th term in office

Opposition parties and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Cameroon have continued to call for clarity over the whereabouts of the country’s 91 years old president, Paul Biya.

This is even as the Cameroonian government has dismissed rumours about the health of Biya, while describing the reports as “pure fantasy.”

Biya has been out of public eye since attending a China-Africa forum in Beijing in early September.

However, his failure to appear as scheduled at a summit in France last weekend stoked speculation that the nonagenarian was unwell.

A statement from government spokesperson, Rene Sadi reads: “Rumours of all kinds have been circulating through the conventional media and social networks about the president’s condition.

“The Government unequivocally states that these rumours are pure fantasy … and hereby issues a formal denial.”
Opposition parties and civil society groups have been calling for an update on the status of Biya’s health and his exact whereabouts.

READ ALSO: Troops arrest 8 Nigerians smuggling fuel to Cameroonian rebels

After Beijing, Biya paid a private visit to Europe, Sadi said: “The head of state is in good health and will be returning to Cameroon in the coming days.”

With no clear succession plan, Biya’s death portends more political turmoil to West and Central Africa, which has seen eight coups since 2020 and several other military attempts to overthrow governments.

His recent absence from the meeting of leaders from French-speaking countries in Paris was much remarked on at the two-day event, according to three non-Cameroonian African ministers who attended.

One of the Ministers, who spoke anonymously said: “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.

“No one has prepared for the aftermath. We don’t know what Cameroon (would) be like without Paul Biya.”

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