Where is Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state? ⁰

For a nation that prides itself on stability, the Republic of Cameroon finds itself trapped in an increasingly familiar cycle: the head of state disappears, rumors flourish and his government responds not with transparency but with silence.

At 93 years old, President Paul Biya is the world’s oldest serving head of state. He has ruled Cameroon since 1982 longer than many of the country’s citizens have been alive. Yet once again, his prolonged absence has become the story. The ruling CPDM party faces mounting criticism as Cameroonians ask a simple, legitimate question: Where is their president?

This is not idle curiosity. In any functioning or “advanced” democracy, the whereabouts and health of a sitting president are matters of public interest. They are questions of governance, national security and accountability.

Cameroon has been here before. In 2024, Biya vanished from public view for 42 days while abroad, prompting widespread speculation that he had died. Rather than addressing public concerns with openness, authorities reportedly banned public discussion of the president’s health. That response did little to reassure citizens. Instead, it reinforced perceptions of a government that sees transparency as a threat rather than a duty.

The current episode risks repeating the same mistakes. Every day without credible information creates a vacuum. In that vacuum, rumors become headlines, conspiracy theories gain traction and confidence in state institutions erodes further.

Biya’s supporters who are looting the treasury argue that a president, like any citizen, deserves medical privacy. That is true—to a point. But public office comes with obligations that transcend personal preference. When one individual occupies the highest office in the land, especially after more than four decades in power, questions about their ability to govern are not an invasion of privacy. They are part of democratic accountability.

Cameroon’s political system has become so closely identified with one man that every unexplained absence raises unsettling questions about who is actually making decisions. If Biya is governing effectively, the government should demonstrate that. If Biya is temporarily unable to perform his duties, constitutional mechanisms exist to ensure continuity. What cannot be defended is prolonged official silence.

The issue extends beyond Paul Biya himself. It speaks to a broader challenge confronting nations led by aging leaders who have remained in office for decades. Institutions should be strong enough to function regardless of one person’s health or presence. When they are not, uncertainty becomes inevitable.

The question confronting Cameroon is no longer simply “Where is President Biya?” It is why the government continues to believe that withholding basic information serves the public interest.

Citizens deserve answers, not censorship. They deserve transparency, not speculation. And they deserve confidence that their country is being governed by institutions—not by mystery.

Until those answers are provided, one question will continue to echo both within Cameroon and beyond its borders:

Where is the world’s oldest head of state?

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai