The mystery of the missing president – podcast

Published 5 August 2026 · politics

Cameroon’s 93-year-old president has not been seen for many weeks. The Guardian’s Eromo Egbejule and Giovanni Wanneh tell Annie Kelly how the country is managing

Cameroon’s 93-year-old president has not been seen for many weeks. The Guardian’s Eromo Egbejule and Giovanni Wanneh tell Annie Kelly how the country is managing without its leader, and why Cameroonians still have hope for the next chapter Paul Biya has been the president of Cameroon since 1982.

But the 93-year-old has a habit of disappearing. This week, a government spokesperson was forced to declare Biya is in fact alive and will return “soon”. All because he’s been in Switzerland for 59 days and Cameroonians haven’t heard from him.

So who is actually running one of central Africa’s largest economies? Why can’t Cameroonians talk publicly about their president’s health? And what’s the succession plan?

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