Biya, 93, Reboots Cameroon’s Army While He’s Abroad

Sun Sep 06 2026 13:44:42 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Cameroon's longest‑tenured leader reshuffles the military from Geneva, raising questions about who’s in charge at home.

President Paul Biya, aged 93, has dispatched new commanders and promoted five colonels to brigadier generals while he stays in Geneva for a private visit. The moves were announced in separate decrees, sparking concern over a leadership vacuum as Biya has not been seen in public for almost two months. Critics argue the reshuffle is a shroud for political uncertainty, while the president maintains that he is still running the country from afar. A new cabinet remains unfilled and an unfilled vice‑president post lingers, leaving observers worried about Cameroon’s governance during Biya’s extended absence.

The 93‑year‑old president Paul Biya has shuffled Cameroon’s military leadership while he remains in Geneva. In a series of decrees, he promoted five colonels to brigadier generals and placed the commander of the presidential guard, Raymond Beko’o Abondo, in his own position.

Biya has not appeared in public for nearly two months, having left Cameroon on 7 June for a "brief private stay." Despite the extended absence, he signed decrees allowing the government to enter loan agreements and addressed other policy matters from abroad.

The reshuffle comes amid speculations that his prolonged trip could create a leadership vacuum, especially after he failed to appoint a new cabinet following last year’s election, and the vice‑president post remains unfilled.

Opposition parties argue that a country cannot be governed from a distance while social and economic challenges intensify. The president, however, insists that he continues to lead the nation from Geneva and denies that his absence signifies a gap in governance.