Politics

Cameroon: Govt insists 91-year-old President Biya in good health

Published

5 days ago

October 11, 2024

The government of Cameroon has declared in a statement that the country’s ninety-one-year-old president, Paul Biya, is in good health and that stories claiming otherwise are “pure fantasy.”

Since early September, when Biya attended a China-Africa summit in Beijing, he has not been sighted in public. His absence at a summit in France last weekend, which was scheduled, added credence to rumours that the nonagenarian was ill and reports of death surfaced on social media on Tuesday.

“Rumours of all kinds have been circulating through the conventional media and social networks about the president’s condition,” government spokesperson Rene Sadi said in the statement. “The Government unequivocally states that these rumours are pure fantasy … and hereby issues a formal denial.”

Civil society organisations and opposition parties have been requesting an update on Biya’s health and precise location.

Biya had a private trip to Europe after Beijing, according to Sadi. “The head of state is in good health and will be returning to Cameroon in the coming days.”
His passing would increase political unrest in West and Central Africa, which has already experienced eight coups since 2020 and multiple more military attempts to topple governments due to a lack of a clear succession plan.

Three non-Cameroonian African ministers in attendance said that there was substantial discussion about his recent absence from the Paris gathering of leaders of French-speaking nations.

“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,” said one of the ministers, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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

Cameroon has only had two presidents since gaining independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s and is currently experiencing two major crises: a bloody Boko Haram insurgency in the north and a separatist struggle that has claimed thousands of lives.

President Biya is one of several long-serving African leaders, including Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who has been in office since 1982, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame is also gradually evolving into the group.

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Politics

Nigerian Air Force adds 34 Italian planes, helicopters

Published

22 hours ago

October 15, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria’s air force is acquiring 24 Italian-made M-346 attack jets and ten AW-109 Trekker helicopters as part of a fleet renewal strategy, a spokesperson said on Monday.

Air Force spokesperson, Olusola Akinboyewa, said in a statement that a team led by Nigeria’s Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar met with executives from Italy’s Leonardo S.p.A, the manufacturer, in Rome who confirmed the first three M-346 aircraft were expected to be delivered by early 2025, with subsequent deliveries running until mid-2026.

The Trekker helicopters are expected by early 2026, Akinboyewa said.

“The M-346 and Trekker acquisitions are key steps towards fleet renewal,” Abubakar was cited as saying, emphasizing the need for a maintenance hub in Nigeria to provide long-term support, particularly for the M-346 fleet.

Nigeria, which has been fighting a 15-year Islamist insurgency against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, as well as attacks by armed bandits in the northwest, has increased military spending in recent years.

Nigeria received two “Huey” helicopters in June to go with the two Trekkers it had previously purchased and the twelve American-built A-29 Super Tucano light attack jets it had been given in 2021 to combat rebels.

Wing Loong II drones manufactured in China are still awaiting delivery.

Politics

Cameroon prohibits discussing 91-year-old President Biya’s health

Published

4 days ago

October 12, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to growing suspicion that 91-year-old President Paul Biya was ill, Cameroon has banned any talk regarding Biya’s health, according to a letter released by the interior ministry.

The reports that the president had been unwell were brushed off as “pure fantasy” by the administration, which released comments earlier this week stating that he was in good condition and on a private visit to Geneva.

Paul Atanga Nji, the interior minister, stated that talking about the president’s health was a matter of national security in a letter to regional governors dated October 9.

“Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to have any discussion about the president’s condition in the media going forward.” The whole weight of the law would be applied to offenders, Nji stated.

He gave the governors orders to form teams to keep an eye on social media and private media broadcasts.

If Biya passed away or was too sick to hold office, the oil- and cocoa-producing nation of Cameroon—which has only had two presidents since gaining independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s—would probably be faced with a difficult succession situation.

The National Communication Council, Cameroon’s media regulator, could not be reached for comment at this time. Many criticised the action as an example of state censorship.

“The president is elected by Cameroonians and it’s just normal that they worry about his whereabouts,” said Hycenth Chia, a Yaounde-based journalist and talk show host on privately owned television Canal2 International.

“We see liberal discussions on the health of Joe Biden and other world leaders, but here it is a taboo,” he told Reuters.

Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group for press freedom, expressed its deep concern.

“Trying to hide behind national security on such a major issue of national importance is outrageous,” said Angela Quintal, head of the CPJ’s Africa Program.

Since early September, when Biya attended a China-Africa summit in Beijing, she has not been sighted in public. His absence at a summit in France last weekend, which was scheduled, fuelled even more public speculation about his health.