News

27, August 2026

Biya regime’s takeover of General Bank deepens concerns over state’s growing role ⁰

Cameroon’s takeover of Société Générale Cameroun, now renamed General Bank of Cameroon (GBC), has become part of a broader concern over the state’s growing footprint in the banking industry, with the African Development Bank warning that repeated public recapitalizations and acquisitions are creating additional fiscal and governance risks.

In its 2026 Country Report on Cameroon, the AfDB describes the expansion of state involvement in banking as a “major source of concern” and cites the acquisition completed on May 12, 2026, as the latest example of the trend.

The warning, however, does not amount to a finding that GBC itself is financially weak. The report is not an audit of the acquired bank. Its concern is broader: the accumulation of government stakes in banks, the governance risks associated with those holdings and the growing interdependence between public finances and bank balance sheets.

The government acquired the 58.08% stake previously held by Société Générale Group. Since the state already owned 25.60% of the subsidiary, the transaction was expected to raise its interest to 83.68%, based on the terms announced when the sale agreement was signed in July 2025.

The government has presented the takeover as a move to strengthen financial sovereignty and ensure stability. When the transaction closed, the Finance Ministry said measures had been taken to ensure continuity of banking services and the security of deposits.

The IMF has raised similar concerns

The AfDB’s warning follows concerns previously raised by the International Monetary Fund.

In its 2026 consultation report, completed on March 9, the IMF said growing government ownership of banks was increasing fiscal, operational and governance risks. It counted eight institutions in which the state held a majority interest.

The IMF recommended clear rules for the management and supervision of state-owned banks, along with restructuring or resolution plans for troubled institutions. It also recommended that the government divest its holdings where feasible. The Fund’s executive board similarly urged caution over the expansion of the state’s footprint in the banking system.

The issue extends beyond GBC’s ownership.

Cameroonian banks’ holdings of government securities increased from 9.5% of their assets at the end of 2015 to 32% in June 2025. According to the IMF, several banks held more than half of their assets in claims on governments within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, or CEMAC.

That concentration strengthens the link between banks’ financial health and governments’ fiscal positions. It can also reduce the resources available to finance businesses and households.

The AfDB also noted that public debt service absorbed 23.8% of Cameroon’s budget in 2025, up from 9.8% in 2013.

Banking indicators are still improving

The increase in these risks does not mean Cameroon’s banking system is experiencing a broad deterioration.

At the end of November 2025, the combined balance sheets of the country’s 18 operating banks had grown 9.3% to CFA13.593 trillion. Customer deposits rose 8.4% to CFA8.865 trillion, while lending increased 17% to CFA6.924 trillion.

Sixteen of the 18 banks were fully compliant with prudential requirements. The gross nonperforming loan ratio also declined to 12.9% in 2025 from 14.3% in 2024.

The AfDB’s concerns therefore center less on an immediate deterioration across the banking industry than on sovereign-risk concentration and the governance of institutions controlled by the government.

In discussions with the IMF, Cameroonian authorities described state interventions in banks as temporary measures designed to restructure troubled institutions, restore their profitability and eventually reduce government ownership.

However, public sources reviewed through Aug. 25, 2026, provide no specific timetable for the government to reduce its stake in GBC or bring additional shareholders into the bank.

The issue raised by the AfDB therefore extends beyond the original rationale for the acquisition. Attention now shifts to how GBC will be governed, how transparent its exposure to the public sector will be and under what conditions the government could eventually share or relinquish control.

Source: Business in Cameroon

27, August 2026

US: 3 Southern Cameroonians sentenced for providing support to Amba fighters ⁰

Three individuals have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to provide material support or resources to kill, kidnap, and maim persons and use weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in a foreign country. The defendants conspired to provide funds and equipment to separatist fighters in Cameroon to allow them to construct and use IEDs against various targets in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Francis Chenyi, Sr., 52, of Saint Paul, Minn. and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, of Buffalo, N.Y., both citizens of Cameroon, were sentenced to 180 months each in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to 63 months, followed by three years of supervised release.

Previously, Chenyi and Langmi, both of whom are U.S. citizens of Cameroonian origin, were found guilty after a federal jury trial of one count of a conspiracy to provide material support or resources intended to be used to carry out conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country and to use a WMD outside the United States. Chenyi and Langmi were also found guilty of one count of being involved in an international money laundering conspiracy that transferred funds from the United States to Cameroon to promote conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim and use WMDs abroad. Additionally, Chenyi was convicted of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use a WMD abroad.

Chi previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use WMDs abroad.

According to court documents and evidence from trial, Langmi sent an audio message to separatist fighters requesting they kidnap a traditional leader in Cameroon. Following a battle with Cameroonian forces, separatists took the traditional leader along with the Catholic Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was traveling with the traditional leader, from their vehicles. Following the kidnapping, Chenyi, provided the interrogation questions to be asked of the traditional leader and the Cardinal and approved the transferring of funds through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatist fighters in Cameroon to further the kidnapping.

Chenyi was involved in ransom payments by individuals outside of Cameroon for the release of family members taken in Cameroon and communicated with Langmi about these payments. Multiple instances occurred in which co-conspirators, including Langmi, requested funds to purchase IEDs or components of IEDs for construction and use in Cameroon that were approved and funded by Chenyi. Chenyi also coordinated with individuals in Cameroon to ensure separatist fighters he supported obtained training on IED use. The defendants corresponded with co-conspirators in Cameroon to coordinate development, payment for, and logistical support toward IED use upon targets in Cameroon.

Around Dec. 3, 2020, Chenyi was requested to provide funds for construction of multiple IEDs to be used in connection with efforts to enforce a lockdown of an area before an upcoming election. Chenyi, along with Chi, agreed to provide funds for the IEDs’ construction and Chenyi coordinated the transfer of funds from the United States through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatist fighters in Cameroon.

Langmi coordinated with, and provided funds to, an unindicted co-conspirator to develop IEDs and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) in Cameroon and kept Chenyi apprised of the IED and RPG development. Langmi also attempted to coordinate attacks near the 2021 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament hosted in Cameroon, as well as various cities throughout the Northwest Region in the spring of 2022.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean T. Foley and Joseph M. Marquez for the Western District of Missouri, with the assistance of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Kansas City Field Office.

26, August 2026

Yaoundé steps up road safety enforcement, but deadly crashes persist ⁰

Cameroon has stepped up road safety checks and prevention measures on major highways, but deadly crashes continue to expose the limits of enforcement efforts aimed at reducing fatalities over the long term.

The latest accident occurred Sunday, Aug. 23, in Sikoum, between Douala and Edéa, killing seven people and injuring 10, according to an official toll reported by state-owned newspaper Cameroon Tribune. The crash came in the middle of a special nationwide road safety campaign and has renewed questions about how effectively current measures can address persistent risks on the country’s roads.

The accident occurred in the morning on National Road No. 3, or RN3, the main highway linking Yaoundé and Douala. A passenger bus carrying residents of the same Douala neighborhood was returning from Bafia via Yaoundé after they attended a funeral when it collided head-on with a dump truck, according to the state-owned newspaper.

Esther Ngo Yemba, the Transport Ministry’s divisional delegate for Sanaga-Maritime, said preliminary information indicated that the bus driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The vehicle then reportedly drifted out of its lane and struck the oncoming truck.

All 17 people killed or injured were aboard the bus. Transport Minister Jean-Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe traveled to Edéa after the accident and visited the injured at the city’s regional annex hospital.

A Road Safety Campaign Already Stepped Up

The Sikoum crash occurred during a special road safety and prevention campaign that began June 25 and is scheduled to run through Sept. 30. The nationwide operation is intended in part to reduce accidents during the vacation period and ahead of the start of the school year.

Authorities have recently intensified enforcement on some of the most exposed routes. At the campaign’s halfway point, the Transport Ministry reported 35 accidents on certain highways since June 1 that it attributed to dangerous parking or improper use of vehicles carrying general and hazardous goods.

In response, Ngalle Bibehe ordered a special operation to remove improperly parked vehicles from major highways in a statement signed Aug. 14. RN3, which connects Cameroon’s two largest cities, is among the main roads covered by the operation.

On Aug. 20, the fourth day of the operation between Yaoundé and Douala, ministry teams identified several cases of illegal parking despite earlier awareness campaigns. For the ministry, the objective is not simply to remove vehicles that violate parking rules but to prevent them from creating conditions that could lead to collisions.

The Sikoum accident also came just days after another deadly crash highlighted a different road safety risk. During the night of Aug. 13-14 in Nomalé, in the Ndikinimeki district, 16 people were killed and about 40 injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck loaded with planks that was stopped on the roadway, according to the official toll.

At Nomalé, the stationary truck was one of the key factors in the accident. At Sikoum, preliminary information instead points to suspected driver fatigue.

The Challenge of Lasting Behavioral Change

The two crashes illustrate the range of risks facing road users. Dangerous parking is one threat, but it forms part of a broader chain that includes driver fatigue, behavior behind the wheel, vehicle condition, compliance with transport rules and traffic conditions.

That complexity is one of the central challenges for Cameroon’s current road safety policy. Authorities have increased checks, removed improperly parked vehicles and continued awareness campaigns, yet some high-risk behavior persists.

RN3 illustrates the problem. Even with the Transport Ministry concentrating part of its enforcement efforts on the highway, serious accidents continue to claim lives. The question is therefore no longer simply whether controls exist, but whether they can produce lasting changes in behavior.

The issue is particularly relevant because the government says the current campaign has coincided with a decline in road deaths. While that would indicate an overall improvement, it has not eliminated mass-casualty crashes.

The Nomalé and Sikoum accidents alone killed 23 people in less than two weeks and injured dozens more. That does not invalidate the broader decline in fatalities reported by authorities, but it shows that lower overall road deaths have not eliminated high-risk situations. Some routes remain particularly exposed, while dangerous behavior continues to have deadly consequences.

With the new school year approaching, the special road safety campaign is entering a critical phase. Authorities still have several weeks to turn individual enforcement operations into measures that address the underlying causes of crashes.

The challenge for the government is to ensure that stronger enforcement produces a sustained reduction in serious accidents rather than a cycle of temporary operations followed by the return of the same dangerous practices.

Source: Sbbc

25, August 2026

Music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80 ⁰

Dolly Parton, the country music star who rose from grinding poverty in Tennessee to become a rhinestone-studded cultural icon with hits like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” has died at 80, her family said Tuesday.

Parton was more than a singer — she wrote 3,000 songs, acted in major Hollywood films and donated millions of dollars to charities in her home state and beyond.

She was also an accomplished businesswoman, with her interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.

“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video announcing her death on social media.

He said the multiple award-winning artist — known for her glittering style, curvy figure and larger-than-life blonde wigs — had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”

The family did not give a cause of death, but Parton had spoken about her recent ill health. Her husband Carl Dean died last year.

A small private funeral service will be held, her representative told People magazine, encouraging fans to leave messages on her website.

Tributes quickly poured in for Parton, who won 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards during her long career.

“May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her,” the Grand Ole Opry, America’s temple of country music, said on social media.

Her co-stars from the hit 1980 movie “9 to 5,” which sparked her soundtrack smash, expressed their shock.

Oscar winner Jane Fonda said she was “devastated” while Lily Tomlin said only: “No words.”

The news even sparked a rare moment of unity in a country often bitterly at odds over Donald Trump’s presidency, the war against Iran and cultural issues.

Trump ordered the lowering of American flags to half-staff across the United States for a week, calling Parton’s passing a “true loss for millions of people.”

“There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

Democratic former president Bill Clinton called her “one of a kind.”

New York’s Empire State Building was to be lit later Tuesday in pink in the singer’s honor.

Born in 1946 as one of 12 children in rural Tennessee, Parton headed for the country music capital Nashville right after graduating from high school.

By 1967, at age 21, she was among the most recognized figures in American music, having joined Porter Wagoner’s syndicated country music television show that broadcast her voice and face into millions of US homes.

During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned some 3,000 tunes.

They included “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and the iconic ballad “I Will Always Love You,” which became an international success for Whitney Houston.

Releasing 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums, she earned the title of “queen of country music.”

Never one to downplay her striking looks, Parton essentially wrote the book on how a woman can rule the airwaves in a male-dominated industry, ultimately becoming an American treasure with songs covered by everyone from Shania Twain to Sinead O’Connor.

“Instant Sainthood,” Jack White, who covered “Jolene” with the White Stripes, wrote on Instagram.

Last year, Parton postponed a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing ongoing health concerns. In May, she canceled them altogether, sparking new fears.

In videos posted to her social media accounts, she said that while treatment for an unspecified illness was going well, she was not ready to perform.

Just last week, she said in a statement to People magazine: “I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”

“She brought so many people together, we will all miss her so much,” said Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Source: AFP

25, August 2026

Trump administration to revoke up to 200,000 asylum visas ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or ‌are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in ⁠a sweeping immigration crackdown.

A State Department spokesman said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of ‌foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, ⁠but then file for asylum to stay here permanently.”

The State Department statement did not specify the number of visas that will be revoked in the process.

The Associated Press put the number of foreigners whose business and tourism visas is planned to be ‌revoked at up to 200,000, which if materialised, would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history. The AP cited State Department documents and two US officials.

The State Department will revoke so-called B1 and ‌B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, the AP report added. The B1 and B2 non-immigrant visas are issued for business and tourism travel.

The visa revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation, the AP report said, adding that most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be re-categorised but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged on X that the American immigration system “has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims.”

The State Department said earlier this month that under the Trump administration, it has revoked more than 175,000 visas of foreign nationals.

Trump has pursued an immigration crackdown that includes revocations of visas and green cards and an aggressive deportation drive.He says the crackdown aims to improve domestic security.

Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have ⁠raised concerns about racial profiling.

While Trump campaigned in 2024 on a platform of stopping illegal immigration, his administration has also made ⁠legal immigration more difficult – for example, by imposing new and expensive fees for applicants of certain work visas. The government’s crackdown has faced legal challenges.

Source: Reuters

25, August 2026

António Guterres says war on Iran exposes limits of superpowers ⁰

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stated that the recent US-Israeli military aggression against Iran has exposed the limitations of superpower dominance, marking a definitive and irreversible shift toward a multipolar global order.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times as he approaches the end of his decade-long tenure at the helm of the UN, Guterres described a world being reshaped by the decline of unilateral US hegemony and the humbling lessons learned from “wars of choice” where Cold War-era superpowers have failed to secure decisive victories.

Guterres emphasized that the era of superpowers dictating global outcomes through force is over, citing the Iran and Ukraine wars.

“It’s time for superpowers to understand the limits of their power,” Guterres told the Financial Times from his offices at the UN headquarters in New York. “If you look at what happened in recent times, the capacity of superpowers to impose their will or their strength or their force in several situations has been severely limited.”

Addressing the Middle East, the UN chief pointed directly to the failure of Washington’s strategic objectives in Iran.

“Superpowers need to understand that things have changed, the weight of different countries has changed,” Guterres said, casting these geopolitical setbacks as clear evidence of the transition away from the US-led post-Cold War order.

The UN Secretary-General’s remarks reflect the geopolitical reality following the unprovoked US-Israeli military aggression against Iran that began in February 2026.

The war was designed to cripple Iran’s defensive capabilities and force political capitulation through a rapid, overwhelming display of force.

However, the operation quickly stalled as Iran responded with a powerful, calculated, and highly effective asymmetric defense strategy.

Utilizing advanced domestic missile and drone technology, integrated air defense networks, and regional deterrence capabilities, Iran not only neutralized the immediate threats but also inflicted high strategic and material costs on the aggressors.

The failure of the US to achieve its maximalist objectives has been widely interpreted by global analysts as a definitive end to the doctrine of unconditional American military supremacy in West Asia.

Central to Iran’s successful deterrence strategy has been its assertion of sovereign control over the Strait of Hormuz. As the world’s most vital maritime oil chokepoint, through which roughly 20% to 30% of global petroleum consumption passes daily, the Strait represents a critical geopolitical lever.

Tehran has established new regulatory frameworks requiring commercial vessels to register, obtain permits, follow Iran-designated routes, and utilize Iran-provided security and insurance.

This strategic maneuver ensures that passage through the Strait is no longer an unconditional right guaranteed by US naval hegemony, but a privilege managed by the coastal state.

24, August 2026

Littoral Region: 7 killed, 10 injured in bus-truck collision ⁰

Seven people were killed and 10 others injured Sunday when an intercity bus collided head-on with a truck in Cameroon, officials said.

The crash occurred in Sikoum in the Sanaga-Maritime division of the Littoral region, where the commercial capital Douala is located. The bus was carrying residents from the same neighborhood in Douala who were returning from a funeral, said Esther Ngo Yemba, Sanaga-Maritime divisional delegate for transport.

State media Cameroon Tribune reported that the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to veer into the opposite lane and crash into the oncoming truck.

The crash comes just days after 16 people were killed and 40 others injured in a separate accident on the Yaounde-Bafoussam highway.

Deadly road accidents are frequent in Cameroon, often linked to poor road conditions and reckless driving. Ministry of Transport data shows that around 1,500 people die in road accidents in the country each year.

Source: Xinhuanet

23, August 2026

Iran urges UK, France to heed veteran diplomats’ warning on Israel ⁰

A senior Iranian diplomat urges the UK and France to take concrete measures against the Israeli regime, citing an open letter signed by 102 former British and French diplomats warning that Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories are moving towards “ethnic cleansing” and the “eradication of Palestine.”

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a post on X on Saturday.

He noted how the former diplomats had called for an end to arms transfers to the regime, a ban on trade with illegal settlements, and implementation of decisions by courts in The Hague.

The official added, “London and Paris must not hide behind the phrase ‘expressing concern’ over this situation. Continuing to supply arms and providing any form of support to the regime constitutes a conscious choice to cooperate with and participate in the Israeli regime’s crimes.”

The open letter, published earlier on Saturday by Le Monde, called on France and the United Kingdom to jointly sanction the regime and “act together to uphold international law in Palestine.”

The signatories include former British ambassadors to the United Nations, Jeremy Greenstock and Emyr Jones Parry, and former French West Asia directors, Yves Aubin de la Messuziere and Denis Bauchard.

The diplomats said Palestinian house demolitions and settler violence, which occur with the “connivance of the Israeli army and police,” amount to “ethnic cleansing.”

The letter called for suspending the European Union’s and the UK’s trade agreements with the regime, halting arms transfers and military cooperation, banning trade with illegal settlements, and restricting citizens from purchasing “property” on occupied Palestinian land.

It also called for guaranteed humanitarian access to Gaza through UNRWA and other UN agencies, as well as protected access for journalists, diplomats, and parliamentarians.

Nicholas Hopton, a former British ambassador to Iran, Qatar, and Yemen, said the immediate concern was settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

“There is a move” by Tel Aviv to “allow settlements to be created in the West Bank in a way that would almost realistically prevent a future Palestinian state being able to be created there,” he said.

The letter said France and Britain had recognized a Palestinian state in 2025 and argued that the recognition now needed to be “made real by urgent action.”

It also called for accountability for those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, saying, “Only then can our governments rebut the accusation of double standards.”

Hopton said the United States remained the most influential external actor, warning that continued inaction “will create a longer-term, irreconcilable problem and store up future violence and future tragedies.”

21, August 2026

Hundreds of Ukrainian conscripts desert during military training in Germany ⁰

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers who were forcibly conscripted have deserted their units while undergoing military training in Germany.

Nearly 30,000 Ukrainian troops have been sent for several weeks of military training in Germany since Russia launched its special military operation in Donbas in February 2022.

Yet hundreds of these conscripts have chosen to flee during the training programs, deserting rather than returning to Ukraine to fight Russian forces, according to media reports.

In the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt alone, more than 80 Ukrainian soldiers have absconded during training since 2022, the weekly newspaper Die Zeit reported. Across Germany as a whole, the total number of deserters runs into several hundred.

Under Ukrainian law, these men are classified as deserters and face up to 12 years in prison if apprehended. Many of them were involuntarily drafted into the army in the first place.

Forced recruitment crisis

Kiev has faced a persistent shortage of volunteers willing to confront the larger and stronger Russian army. In April 2024 a mobilization bill was passed under the pretext of “improving mobilization, military registration, and military service.”

Since the new law took effect in May 2024, recruitment officers have ambushed military-age men on the streets of cities and towns across Ukraine. Multiple viral videos have shown officers forcibly seizing men aged 18 to 60 from public places and dragging them into the army.

Human rights groups have condemned the coercive methods used to force these men into service.

In a further sign of desperation, Ukraine has even turned to convicts. Under a presidential decree, some 2,750 Ukrainian prisoners signed voluntary contracts for mobilization in exchange for parole, swelling the ranks of those sent to fight Russian troops.

21, August 2026

Yaoundé: Biya returns after 74 days abroad ⁰

Paul Biya returned to Cameroon on August 20, 2026, after more than 10 weeks abroad. His absence had fueled speculation about his health and raised questions about how the government functioned while he was away.

The president, accompanied by Chantal Biya, landed at Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport at about 4:45 p.m. before heading to the Unity Palace.

Biya left Yaoundé on June 7. The presidency said at the time that he was leaving for a “short private stay in Europe,” without specifying how long he would be away. In total, Biya spent about 74 days outside the country, his longest recorded stay abroad since taking office in 1982, according to Reuters.

His return ends an unusually long absence. For more than two months, the president’s absence from public view and limited official communication about his stay fueled rumors and questions, eventually prompting the government to respond publicly. Speaking to RFI on August 2, Communication Minister and government spokesman René Emmanuel Sadi said the president was alive and that the presidency was not vacant. He also said Biya would return soon, without giving a date.

At the same time, the presidential camp maintained that Biya continued carrying out his presidential duties while abroad. Several presidential acts were issued during the period, including appointments within the defense forces on August 3.

Biya’s Absence Raises Questions About the Vice Presidency

The episode also exposed a new difficulty in Cameroon’s institutional framework. The constitutional revision of April 14, 2026, created the office of vice president and changed the rules governing presidential succession and continuity of government. Yet more than four months after the reform, no one had been appointed to the position when Biya returned to Yaoundé. Several political parties responded to the situation.

On July 18, the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), led by Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, called for the vice presidency to be filled and for prolonged presidential absences to be more clearly regulated. The party also called for the public to receive more regular information about the functioning of state institutions when a president remains outside the country for an extended period.

The CDU did not argue, however, that Biya’s absence meant the presidency was legally vacant. Instead, the party questioned how the new institutional framework could operate in practice while one of its key offices remained vacant.

Samuel Hiram Iyodi’s Patriotic Movement for the Prosperity of the People (MP3) went further. In a letter sent to the president of the National Assembly on August 6, the party called for a debate on the legal framework governing prolonged presidential stays abroad. It proposed, among other measures, clarifying information requirements and the institutional mechanisms that could be activated when an absence extends over a long period.

Biya’s Return Ends the Absence, Not the Institutional Debate

The political debate is separate from the legal question of whether the presidency is vacant. Cameroonian law does not treat a president’s prolonged stay abroad as creating a vacancy merely because of how long it lasts. The April reform notably sets out provisions governing permanent incapacity and gives the vice president a central role in presidential succession and continuity of government. Biya’s return removes the immediate source of the controversy, but the institutional questions raised during his absence remain.

The episode highlighted the gap between the president’s legal ability to exercise his powers from abroad and public expectations about how the presidency should function during a prolonged absence with limited official communication.

It also brought the office of vice president back to the center of the debate. Although the April reform gave the vice presidency a key role in the new constitutional framework, no appointment has yet been made. Biya’s return therefore ends his 74-day absence, but not necessarily the institutional debate that began on June 7.

Source: Sbbc