BREAKING: Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya in good health – Govt

Africa’s longest serving president, Paul Biya, reported to have died, is still in good health, the Cameroonian government has said. Reports of Biya’s death had flooded the Internet on Tuesday.

Reports had it that the Cameroonian President passed away at a military hospital in Paris, France. Public anxiety reached a fever pitch in the absence of official information, with reports suggesting Biya had either been recovering in Switzerland or receiving treatment in France.

On social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), users voiced differing opinions about the reports. Some expressed relief, believing Biya’s death marks an end to his authoritarian grip on power. Others suggested that France may intervene in Cameroon’s political future, potentially pushing for Biya’s eldest son, Franck Emmanuel Biya, to take his place.

However, the Cameroonian government has come out to say, in a statement, that Biya, who is currently 91-year-old, is in good health, while calling the widespread reports as “pure fantasy”.

“Rumours of all kinds have been circulating through the conventional media and social networks about the president’s condition. The Government unequivocally states that these rumours are pure fantasy,” the statement by the government spokesperson, Rene Sadi reads.