Country Bans Talk About 91-Year-Old Leader's
Country Bans Talk About 91-Year-Old Leader's Health
Officials in Cameroon say rumors Paul Biya is ill are 'pure fantasy'
Biya, president since 1982, is only the second president the West African country has had since it gained independence from France in 1960. The Guardian notes that he spends much of his time in Geneva, Switzerland, where there is often an entire floor in the luxury InterContinental hotel reserved for long stays by Biya and his entourage.
Earlier this week, officials including Cameroon's ambassador to France denied that Biya had died in Geneva or in a French hospital, saying that the president was in the Swiss city and was in good health. Biya was last seen in public at the China-Africa forum in Beijing last month. He failed to appear at a summit of French-speaking countries in France last week.
Journalists and press freedoms groups have strongly criticized the reporting restrictions. "We see liberal discussions on the health of Joe Biden and other world leaders, but here it is a taboo," Cameroonian journalist and talk show host Hycenth Chia tells Reuters.
The president's critics say it's time for a younger leader to deal with crises including a rebellion by English-speaking separatists in the west of the country.
https://www.newser.com/story/357678/cameroon-bans-discussion-of-91-year-old-leaders-health.html