Yaoundé — The rumors about the health of the Cameroonian President, 91-year-old Paul Biya, seem to have been denied yesterday, October 21, when the Head of State returned to his country after a seven-week stay in Geneva. Thousands of supporters welcomed him at the airport and along the road to the presidential palace. Although Biya made no statements, state television showed images of his arrival at the airport as he greeted the dignitaries who had come to receive him at the foot of the gangway, with his wife Chantal by his side.

Cheering people dressed in clothes bearing the President's portrait greeted the Head of State upon his arrival at the airport with songs accompanied by drums. Biya had not appeared in public since the beginning of September, fueling rumors about his health, so much so that the government had banned the dissemination of news about it. The Collective of Former Students of the Catholic Seminaries of Cameroon (CASEMCA) invited people to an interreligious prayer for the President's health (see Fides, 16/10/2024).