Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, now 92 years old, has announced his intention to seek re-election in the country’s upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 12, 2025. If successful, the long-serving leader could remain in power until nearly the age of 100.
Biya, who has ruled the Central African nation since 1982, made international headlines in June 2004 when he joked about persistent rumours of his death. “People are interested in my funeral,” he told reporters at the time. “I’ll see them in 20 years.” Now, 21 years later, he is still at the helm.
His announcement has sparked an unusual wave of public criticism, particularly on social media and in local press, revealing growing dissatisfaction even within his traditional support base. On Monday, the front page of the independent newspaper Le Messager featured Biya’s photo alongside the bold headline: “Nous sommes foutus” (“We are screwed”)—a rare public rebuke in a country where media often operate under tight constraints.
Biya’s extended presidency has long drawn criticism for authoritarian tendencies and lack of transparency. Speculation over his health and who truly holds power in Yaoundé has persisted, particularly as he remains largely absent from public view amid multiple national crises.
Cameroon is currently battling widespread economic hardship, a violent separatist insurgency in its Anglophone regions, and ongoing security threats from Islamist militants spilling over from Nigeria.
“Most of us don’t believe Biya is actually running the country anymore,” said Rebecca Enonchong, a prominent Cameroonian tech entrepreneur. “His decision to run again—if it’s really his—shows just how out of touch the system is.”
Government officials did not immediately respond to media inquiries on Monday. However, Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi has previously dismissed speculation over Biya’s health as “pure fantasy and imagination” promoted by political opponents.
In 2023, Cameroonian authorities officially banned public discussion of the president’s health, though the restriction has been widely ignored by the nation’s assertive press.
