The Cameroonian government has reacted to rumours circulating on social media claiming that President Paul Biya has died.
According to a senior presidential aide, the 93-year-old leader is alive, in good health and continuing to perform his official duties.
Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Cameroonian presidency, made the clarification on Friday.
Speaking to the French-based magazine Jeune Afrique, Mvondo Ayolo questioned how the death of a sitting head of state could be concealed from the public.
“Can you hide the death of a head of state?” he asked, rejecting the claims circulating online.
The presidential aide maintained that Biya was in good health and still working, adding that there was no reason for concern over the president’s condition.
He also pointed to a presidential decree published on Thursday, October 15, which he said had been signed by Biya as evidence that the president was continuing to carry out his official responsibilities.
Mvondo Ayolo condemned the spread of what he described as fake information about the president’s health and expressed concern over the repeated circulation of such reports.
The rumours began spreading on Thursday after an account on X identified as “Human Rights Forum” claimed that Biya had died. The account also alleged that political figures were discussing arrangements for his replacement before an official announcement could be made.
The post attracted widespread attention, generating hundreds of thousands of views, leading to fresh speculation about the president’s condition and the country’s political future.
Further claims circulated online, including suggestions of unusual activity around the Unity Palace in Yaoundé, the seat of the Cameroonian presidency. However, the claims were not accompanied by independently verified evidence establishing that the president had died.
The presidency’s denial came against the backdrop of continuing public concerns about Biya’s health, his prolonged absences from Cameroon and uncertainty surrounding the country’s presidential succession arrangements.
Biya, who is 93, returned to Cameroon on August 20 after spending more than 10 weeks in Geneva, Switzerland.
He had left the country on June 7 for what his office described as a brief private stay in Europe. His absence lasted approximately 74 days, attracting criticism from opposition figures and renewed questions about how the country was being governed while he remained abroad.
During the period, concerns emerged over the president’s ability to discharge his constitutional responsibilities and the extent to which government affairs were being managed in his absence.
The government had maintained that Biya remained capable of governing, while opposition politicians called for greater transparency regarding his condition and the country’s leadership arrangements.
Opposition lawmaker Jean Michel Nintcheu previously urged the Constitutional Council to declare the presidency vacant.
The Cameroonian leader has governed the Central African country since November 1982, making him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. He began his eighth presidential term in November 2025 following a disputed election that triggered protests and political tensions.
Before becoming president, Biya served as Cameroon’s prime minister from June 30, 1975, to November 6, 1982, when he succeeded President Ahmadou Ahidjo.
Questions about succession have become increasingly prominent amid his age and prolonged absences from public view.
In April 2026, Cameroonian lawmakers approved the reintroduction of the position of vice-president, a development that drew attention to the constitutional arrangements for transferring power if the president dies or becomes unable to govern.
However, the position remained unfilled in the months following its reintroduction, according to an analysis published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in September.
Under the succession framework discussed in the analysis, the absence of an appointed vice-president could complicate the transition process in the event of a presidential vacancy. The country’s constitutional arrangements provide for the president of the Senate to assume interim presidential duties if a vacancy is formally established, pending a new election.