On Thursday, August 20, President Paul Biya, accompanied by his wife Chantal and their delegation, was en route to Yaoundé aboard a private Boeing jet, registration P4 – CLA. Their flight originated in Geneva, with an expected arrival in the Cameroonian capital late in the afternoon.

Members of the ruling Democratic Rally of the Cameroonian People (RDPC) have been mobilized, preparing a particularly enthusiastic welcome for the head of state upon his return to Cameroon.

Cameroonian authorities have orchestrated a grand spectacle for this presidential homecoming. Illustrating this elaborate staging, the public media group CRTV has deployed 200 of its personnel for live radio and television coverage of the event. The president’s landing and the 22-kilometer journey from the airport to the palace are set to be broadcast and extensively commented on across these platforms, marking it as a significant national occasion.

An absence of over 70 days from the nation

This return flight, for which neither the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon nor the government issued any official communication, follows an exact 74-day absence of the Cameroonian head of state from his country. This record period away fueled numerous rumors concerning his health, with speculation ranging from severe illness and hospitalization after knee surgery to routine medical consultations.

Citizens of Cameroon are now keenly awaiting to see if their leader utilized this prolonged absence to advance some of his pending commitments. Among these are the formation of a new government, which was announced eight months ago but remains unappointed, and the designation of a vice-president, a position created last April that is still vacant.