Cameroon’s 92-Year-Old President Biya Dismisses Health Concerns As He Seeks 8th Term

Monday July 14, 2025
By TheNewsDESK |

The Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 92, has dismissed health concerns as he announced plans to seek another term in office, ARISE News reported.

In June 2004, after returning from another prolonged trip abroad, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya made light of rumours about his death. “People are interested in my funeral,” he joked to reporters. “I’ll see them in 20 years.”

Now, 21 years later, the 92-year-old remains in power and has announced plans to run in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 12, seeking an eighth term that could keep him in office until nearly 100.

Biya has ruled the Central African nation with a firm grip since 1982, when he succeeded his former mentor Ahmadou Ahidjo, whom he later forced into exile. His extended presidency has long drawn criticism, but this latest bid for re-election has triggered a wave of unusually vocal public backlash, especially across local media and social platforms, hinting at mounting unease within his political base.

“Nous sommes foutus” (“We are screwed”) read the front page of Le Messager newspaper on Monday, next to Biya’s image — a rare expression of direct dissent in a country where the press often operates under pressure.

Cameroon continues to grapple with economic hardship and security crises, including the ongoing Anglophone separatist conflict and threats from Islamist insurgents based in neighbouring Nigeria.

Despite these challenges, Biya has remained largely absent from public life, fuelling speculation about the true state of his health and who is actually running the government.

“Most of us don’t believe Biya is actually running the country anymore. His decision to run again, if it’s really his, shows just how out of touch the system is,” said tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong.

Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. However, he has previously described concerns about Biya’s health as “pure fantasy and imagination” propagated by opponents seeking to destabilise the country.

In 2023, the government banned public discussion of Biya’s health, but the directive has largely been ignored by Cameroon’s outspoken media.