At 91, Paul Biya holds the title of Africa’s oldest sitting head of state and is the continent’s second longest-serving president. Recently, he made headlines in his home country, Cameroon, after rumors of his death circulated, but these were quickly debunked. This isn’t the first time such rumors have spread, largely due to Biya’s low public profile and his tendency to delegate many of his daily responsibilities to the prime ministers.
Biya, who has been in office for more than four decades, has not appeared in public since attending a China-Africa forum in Beijing on September 8. In response to the death rumors, Cameroon’s government spokesman, René Sadi, released a statement denying the claims, assuring the public that the president would return to the country “in the next few days.” Additionally, the head of Biya’s private office, who is with him in Geneva, confirmed that the president is in excellent health.
With Biya’s current term ending in November 2025, critics have raised concerns about the need for younger leadership in Cameroon. On Friday, in response to the ongoing speculation about Biya’s health, Cameroonian authorities banned the media from discussing the topic. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji instructed regional governors to prohibit any debate in the media about the president’s condition, warning that offenders would face legal consequences. He emphasized that the president’s health is a matter of national security and urged the establishment of units to ensure the order was enforced, particularly among private media outlets and on social media.
Born on February 13, 1933, in Mvomeka’a, Meyomessala Subdivision, South Region, Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvondo is the son of Etienne Mvondo Assam and Anastasie Eyenga Elle. He pursued higher education in France, specializing in political science and law, before returning to Cameroon, which had gained independence in 1960. Biya married Jeanne-Irène Atyam in the early 1960s, but she passed away in 1992. He remarried in 1994 to Chantal Vigouroux. He has three children and became Cameroon’s second head of state on November 6, 1982, following the resignation of President Ahmadou Ahidjo.
Before that, he served as prime minister (1975–1982).
Before becoming PM, Biya had served in different capacities from 1962 including being Chargé de Mission at the Presidency of the Republic upon his return from Paris, and Director of Cabinet of the Minister of National Education, Youth Affairs and Culture.
He also served as Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, Director of the Civil Cabinet of the President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Minister, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic and as Minister of State, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic.
