The ailing 91-year-old Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, has returned to the country after spending 42 days out of the country without clear explanation on his whereabouts from his government.
President Biya returned to the country on Monday after over a month Cameroonians raised concerns about his health and location.
His chartered flight from Geneva landed at Nsimalen International Airport in the capital, Yaoundé, just before 5pm (1600 GMT), Reuters reports.
Biya was greeted on the tarmac by his secretary general, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, with whom he exchanged brief words before heading to his vehicle.
It was reported that although the President did not address the public, he waved to supporters through the back window of his car as his motorcade left the airport.
On his return on Monday, thousands of supporters from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) lined the 22-kilometer route (about 13 miles) from the airport to the Etoudi presidential palace, wearing fabrics adorned with Biya’s image.
Onlookers flocked to the streets to confirm the head of state’s wellbeing, and supporters displayed billboards welcoming him back, along with banners that read, “Long life to His Excellency Paul Biya, father of the nation.”
Recall that his long absence from the country without any disclosure of his health status and location had fuelled speculations about his health, including rumours that he had died.
The speculation and death rumours compelled officials in his government to claim that the President was in good condition.
When the people of the country did not back down on questioning about his health and his whereabouts, the government banned discussions regarding his health, tagging it a matter of national security.