Public reactions to Cameroonian president Paul Biya's return amid health rumours: Video
Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 91, arrived in Yaoundé on Monday, October 21 after several weeks abroad, quelling speculation about his health.
State broadcaster CRTV showed Biya disembarking from the presidential plane, shaking hands with officials alongside his wife, Chantal, as a jubilant crowd welcomed him.
Supporters, donning outfits adorned with Biya's portrait, chanted and celebrated as his motorcade departed the airport for the presidential palace.
"Today the president is on his way, and this will put an end to all the speculation," a CRTV presenter announced.
Biya had been largely out of the public eye since returning from a China-Africa cooperation summit in Beijing at the beginning of September. Flight tracking sites indicated that a Boeing registered CMR001, previously used for his travels, departed from Geneva, where he reportedly spent several weeks.
Posters in the capital celebrated his return, with messages like "Welcome home, Mr. President of the Republic." On October 8, amidst growing concerns about his health, the government announced that he would be back soon and subsequently banned local media from discussing his health status.
In his absence, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute represented the government at various functions.
Having ruled Cameroon for over 41 years, Biya is the second longest-serving leader in Africa, after Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. He has a history of extensive overseas travel, often for medical purposes, with an estimated $65 million spent on such trips over 35 years, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
