Cameroon’s president mocked for ‘visiting’ his own country after extended stays in Switzerland
Paul Biya has led Cameroon since 1982 and is now serving his eighth term after winning reelection last year. By the time it ends, he will be 99.
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For nearly half of Cameroon’s population, he is the only president they have ever known.
Yet another detail of his authoritarian rule has drawn renewed attention in recent days: Biya appears to spend a substantial amount of time in Switzerland.
His return to Cameroon this week came as the country faces widespread unemployment and a secessionist conflict nearing its 10th year. The timing prompted a wave of online criticism, with some Cameroonians joking that the president’s arrival resembled an official state visit — to his own country.
“President of Cameroon, the 93-year-old Paul Biya, is expected to visit Cameroon next week!” read one viral, tongue-in-cheek headline.
“The people of Cameroon, I wonder how you feel because how do you tell me that a whole head of state will be visiting you,” TikTok user Pr7ation wrote.
Biya was out of the country for about two months in 2024 and spent nearly as long abroad this year, from June 7 to Aug. 20. Those absences followed even longer stays in previous years. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project estimated that he had spent 4½ years abroad on private visits since becoming president, based on figures available in 2018. The total has risen since then.
He was also largely missing from campaign rallies during his 2025 bid for reelection.
The government has defended Biya’s trips and rejected reports that his health is deteriorating. Officials say he is able to run the country remotely, despite Cameroon’s vice presidency remaining vacant.
Cameroon’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the president’s travels.
