Cameroon Government Bans Debate About Absent President’s Health

(Bloomberg) -- Cameroon’s government banned media debate about the health of President Paul Biya, whose absence from public view since last month has stoked speculation about his wellbeing.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Anyone found to be discussing the nonagenarian leader’s health will “face the full force of the law,” Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji said in a statement in the capital, Yaounde.

“The head of state is the first institution of the republic,” Nji said. “As such, debates about his health condition are a matter of national security.”

The government issued a statement earlier this week to say that Biya, 91, is healthy and en route back to the country, following speculation on social media that he had died. The president hasn’t appeared in public since early September.

One of the world’s longest-serving rulers, Biya has been in power in Cameroon since 1982.

--With assistance from Arijit Ghosh and Katarina Höije.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.