The world's oldest head of state, Paul Biya, is still alive

Most news stories about a 91-year-old man on the loose end with notices telling us he was found by the public and returned to his private residence by uniformed police officers.

But Paul Biya is not just someone over 90 years old After all, Cameroon has been without a president for 41 years. It was not from a dementia home that he walked around with a walker. He was last seen at a summit in Beijing, before mysteriously disappearing for six weeks.

Meanwhile, the media in Cameroon were prohibited from speculating on his health condition, citing national security.

– Therefore, any discussion in the media about the president's condition is strictly prohibited, Interior Minister Paul Atanga Njie said at the beginning of October.

This week it became clear that at least Bea is alive. He is therefore still the oldest head of state in the world. He arrived in the capital, Yaounde, after a trip from Switzerland, where he was said to have been dealing with matters of such a sensitive nature that they remained secret. Biya looked reasonably strong (for his age) but has not made any statements, meaning the speculation will continue.

The government is not wrong when it links the president's health to national security. But it is a self-inflicted problem that could have been avoided if Biya had “made Biden.” However, he has shown no signs of wanting to step down. On the contrary, there are many indications that he wants to run for re-election again when his seven-year term ends next year.

David Kiowa, Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, Write in a comment Cameroon is closer than ever to a crossroads after Biya, and that the country lacks the necessary constitutional markers to deal with the situation.

“The succession story is likely to be a messy one,” he writes, and continues:

“Due to the years of favoritism Biya has bestowed on relatives, there will be an increased possibility of regional and ethnic tensions or conflicts, and even a breakdown in law and justice.”

That the homeland is one A major producer of oil, natural gas and timber only raises the stakes and increases the risk of destructive competition between different groups once it exits.

Methods that tyrants Their habit of clinging to power usually ensures that there will be great disintegration after they are gone. Local elites played off each other, armed forces were often distributed across different centers of power, and the legal framework was tailored over the years to suit a single person. When this disappears, everything collapses.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan are perhaps the most obvious examples in the region.

There is every reason why the conversation about Piya's health should continue, even if in his country it should be done quietly.

Read more by Erik Esbjörnsson here.