Cameroon authorities have denied rumours of the death of the country’s 91-year-old president, Paul Biya, saying he is in good health.
The government dismissed the rumours in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the widespread reports was “pure fantasy.”
The frail looking president has disappeared from public view ysince attending the China-Africa forum in Beijing in early September.
His failure to appear as scheduled at a summit in France last weekend stoked speculation that the nonagenarian was unwell.
“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.”
Opposition parties and civil society groups have been calling for an update on the status of Biya’s health and his exact whereabouts.
After Beijing, Biya paid a private visit to Europe, Sadi said. “The head of state is in good health and will be returning to Cameroon in the coming days.”
With no clear succession plan, Biya’s death would bring more political turmoil to the country that has been facing separatists revolts for decades, and a violent Boko Haram insurgency in the north.
“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.”
