The mystery of the missing president

Summary

Today in Focus: The Mystery of the Missing President Date: August 5, 2026
Host: Annie Kelly (The Guardian)
Guests: Eromo Abigail (West Africa Correspondent), Giovanni Wanner (Cameroonian journalist)

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Overview

This episode delves into the unprecedented disappearance of Cameroon's long-serving president, Paul Biya. Amid Biya’s unexplained and prolonged absence—now nearly two months—the podcast investigates the implications for Cameroon’s governance, society, and future. Through expert analysis and on-the-ground reporting, the episode explores how a nation copes when its leader vanishes, the systemic inertia he leaves behind, and the fears, frustrations, and power plays surfacing among both the elite and ordinary Cameroonians.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Background: Paul Biya’s Presidency

• Tenure: Paul Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982, making him one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state.
• Entrenchment of Power: Most Cameroonians have known only his leadership. "That's how entrenched he is in the system." (Eromo Abigail, 03:46)
• Paranoia and Security: After a failed coup attempt in 1984, Biya became deeply paranoid, prioritizing regime security above all else. He regularly shuffles loyalists to prevent plots and retains a tight grip through opacity and a 'coup-proof' system. (04:06)
• Absentee Leadership: Biya often governs remotely from Geneva, Switzerland, staying at the luxury Intercontinental Hotel and relying on proxies for day-to-day government functions. (07:24)
• Public Perception: While he retains support in some regions—“the devil we know is better than the angel we don’t”—most citizens are resigned, disengaged, or apathetic, believing they have no agency to demand change. (04:58)

The Disappearance

• Exit and Silence: On June 7, Biya left for Europe on what was described as a "brief private stay". But 59 days later, there has been no public appearance or communication—a marked change from previous absences. (02:07)
• Illegal Speculation: It's actually illegal in Cameroon to openly speculate about the president’s health, which fuels rumors in hushed tones and online forums. (02:07, 08:48)
• Autopilot Governance: For over a decade, Secretary General Ferdinand Ngongo has frequently acted in Biya’s stead, signing government documents. The country is widely seen as “on autopilot.” (06:46)

Succession & Power Struggles

• Lack of Succession Mechanism: Despite a recent constitutional amendment to allow an appointed vice president, no one has been named, leaving a power vacuum and no clear pathway for a smooth handover. "There is no vice president as of now." (12:41)
• Key Power Players:
  • Chantal Biya (First Lady): Dubbed “Madame le Président,” she wields significant influence and is rumored to be angling for her own succession or that of her son Frank.
  • Frank Biya: The president’s eldest child, viewed as a leading contender.
  • Other Ministers: Several other insiders are competing behind the scenes for power.
  • “It’s a battle of the Franks… there’s at least two or three other ministers who also want to be president.” (10:46)
• Fragmented Opposition: Years of repression have left the opposition splintered and impotent—over 100 parties, none strong enough to mount a credible challenge. (13:43)

Public Reaction & Civil Unrest

• Suppression of Dissent: Despite constitutional promises, real freedom of speech is absent. Criticism—especially online—is punished. “It’s illegal on social media to speculate on the health of the head of state.” (17:27)
• Anger and Protest:
  • The 2025 election saw rare, widespread anger and mass protests, met with lethal crackdowns. “Petrol stations burned down… banners of His Excellency President Paul Biya… were crushed.” (19:41)
  • Disillusioned youth are especially vocal, with dreams of emigration increasingly replacing engagement with national politics. “They don’t see a future with the president at the helm.” (22:08)
• Societal Impact: Ordinary Cameroonians are burdened by an economy in limbo, skyrocketing unemployment (>50%), and “living in lack” while elites display ostentatious wealth. (07:50)

Ongoing National Crises

• Boko Haram Insurgency: Ongoing violent conflict in the north continues to destabilize the region. (22:31)
• Anglophone Crisis: Tensions and violence between the Francophone-dominated government and marginalized Anglophone regions have escalated into separatist violence, with thousands killed. (23:42)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Biya's staying power:
  “He’s always learned to shuffle the pack and to always prioritize regime security over national security.”
  — Eromo Abigail (04:06)

• On public fatigue and disengagement:
  “People just generally got disinterested in governance, thinking, oh, there’s no way this guy can get out of office. And so all of that has benefited Biya.”
  — Eromo Abigail (04:58)

• On the absurdity of the absence:
  “The country has really just been on autopilot, at least for the last 15, 20 years.”
  — Eromo Abigail (06:47)

• On power struggles:
  “There’s a battle of the Franks, and there’s at least two or three other ministers who also want to be president.”
  — Eromo Abigail (10:46)

• Freedom of speech in practice:
  “It’s illegal on social media to speculate on the health of the head of state… So it’s a crime if a 93 year old is sick and cannot go about his duties.”
  — Giovanni Wanner (17:27)

• On the cycle of despair:
  “Imagine the country without President Paul Biya… that’s going to be really strange. Cameroonians are just waiting for a change. A change you give them of any sort, they are going to be contented with it.”
  — Giovanni Wanner (24:07)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:21: Introduction to the situation—President’s prolonged absence, public confusion and government silence
• 03:21–06:59: Paul Biya’s political history and legacy, governance style, delegation, and absence
• 07:24–08:48: Extravagant foreign stays, rumors, public disengagement
• 09:45–12:41: Succession questions, main power players, constitutional loopholes
• 13:43–14:32: Role and weakness of the opposition
• 16:36–19:41: Voices from Cameroon—Giovanni Wanner on daily realities, repression, and protest
• 22:17–24:41: Broader national crises (Boko Haram, Anglophone conflict), generational views, longing for change

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Conclusion

The episode paints a portrait of a nation suspended in uncertainty, run by a vanished leader and paralyzed institutions. Amidst fear, resignation, and simmering hope, Cameroonians are left questioning not just the whereabouts of their president, but the very course of their country’s future. While the power vacuum at the top grows, ordinary people continue to grapple with economic hardship, rising violence, and a sense that meaningful change may only come after the Biya era finally ends.

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Transcript

[Annie Kelly]

This is the Guardian. Today. Cameroon's missing president. Today In Focus is supported by Paramount plus. This isn't the end of a fight, it's the start of one. Lioness, the critically acclaimed original series from Taylor Sheridan, is now streaming only on Paramount. In the new season, hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals collide. Meanwhile, Jo walks the line between duty and family as unseen forces circle her world, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life. The don't miss the new season of Lioness, starring Zoe Saldana and Michael Kelly, with Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman, now streaming only on Paramount plus. On 7 June, Cameroon's President Paul Beer left the country for what his office said was a brief private stay in Europe. And at first this all seemed like nothing new. Beer is notorious for jetting off. He often spends months ruling remotely, often from the luxury of Geneva's Intercontinental Hotel, where he takes over an entire floor. But this time is different. Speculations arrive amongst Cameroonians about the whereabouts of long serving president Paul Dia. People want to know if he is in good health.

[Eremo Abigail]

Cameroon is once again at the center

[Annie Kelly]

of political attention as uncertainty grows over the prolonged absence of President Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state

[Eremo Abigail]

occupation with the singular question, where is Paul Beah?

[Annie Kelly]

59 days have passed since he left. The president seems to have just disappeared. Cameroon has heard or seen nothing from him. Rumors are spreading, especially considering The President is 93 years old. His ministers have been forced to publicly confirm that he is in fact still alive and he'll be back soon. And ordinary Cameroonians are saying, well, not much because it's actually illegal to openly speculate about his health. With the future of Cameroon, one of Central Africa's largest economies, appearing to be hanging in the balance, who is actually running the country? From the Guardian, I'm Annie Kelly. Today in Focus. What happens when a country's president goes mia? Eremo Abigail, you are the Guardians West Africa correspondent. Welcome to TODAY in Focus.

[Eremo Abigail]

Thank you very much.

[Annie Kelly]

Annie, tell me a bit about Paul Beer. He first became president in 1982. Give me like a sense of his presidency. How's he been running the country?

[Eremo Abigail]

He's always had such an interesting hold

[Giovanni Wanner]

on par do you solemnly swear before God and man to devote all your efforts to preserving, protecting and defending the constitution?

[Eremo Abigail]

He came into power by taking over the role of the guy who he was prime minister to Ahmad Ahidjo, and most people in Cameroon have known him as the only president. That's how Entrenched he is in the system.

[Giovanni Wanner]

An independence of the Cameroon fatherland. I do so swear.

[Eremo Abigail]

So Biya survived a near successful coup attempt in 1984, and that made him very paranoid. And so what Biye has learned to do is to make his regime coup proof. He's always learned to shuffle the pack and to always prioritize regime security over national security.

[Annie Kelly]

I mean, that's wild, isn't it, that idea that multi generations have only ever known one president.

[Eremo Abigail]

I mean, none of us on this call were probably born when he became president.

[Annie Kelly]

No, I know. Well, you know, apart from maybe one, but let's not go into that now. So, I mean, we're talking about this in our country. There's 30 million people in Cameroon. The average age is 18. So how has he seen in the country? Is he still popular? What do people think of him?

[Eremo Abigail]

He's still popular, interestingly, in some areas in parts of the south where he's. People still support him and some feel, oh, the devil we know is better than the angel we don't. But also some people have just resigned to faith. They've gone through several elections. This guy has managed to win eight term and most people stopped voting. People just generally got disinterested in governance, thinking, oh, there's no way this guy can get out of office. And so all of that has benefited Biya.

[Annie Kelly]

Paul Biya, aged 92 and the world's oldest head of state, has been officially declared winner of the presidential election in Cameroon, securing a historic eight term in office.

[Eremo Abigail]

Even the last election, which seemed like things were going to finally change this time, you know, nothing did. So people are surprised by his, his remarkable ability to still walk at his age, to still, I guess, you know, do the things that he can do and be in office. So he addresses Cameroonians around three or four times every year. They know it. They can set their timetables, their clocks to it. And other than that, no one sees him. And B really has had a lot of people do most of his work. There's a lot of delegation, in fact, over the last ten years or more. The secretary general, a chap called Ferdinand Ngongo, is the one who has mostly been signing things for Bi. And so no one knows exactly what directives have come from Bi.

[Aura Advertiser]

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[Eremo Abigail]

The country has really just been on autopilot, at least for the last 15, 20 years. You know, in fact, since winning the most recent term in October last year, he hasn't formed a government.

[Annie Kelly]

So he hasn't, since his last election, he hasn't formed an actual Government?

[Eremo Abigail]

No, he hasn't.

[Annie Kelly]

Right. So he, he's. He's ruling without a government with this kind of opaque system of ministers operating underneath him.

[Eremo Abigail]

Yeah, it would be funny if he were just really sad.

[Annie Kelly]

It's not exactly the first time he's gone AWOL either, is it? He's got this history of taking long personal trips out of the country. I mean, I was reading before this interview, in some years, like 2006, I think 2009, he spent almost a third of the year out of the country. And often these trips are to Geneva, aren't they? What do we know about what he does there and who's paying for it?

[Eremo Abigail]

The state of Cameroon is paying for it for sure. You know, the state has some money, Cameroon does have oil resources. And so Biya, seeing himself as a custodian of the state, his government makes sure he's taken care of. And there's been reports over the years of ostentatious lifestyle, even though Cameroon, you know, more than half of the country is officially unemployed. So it's an interesting state of contradiction, really. A few people benefiting from the commonwealth of many, whilst most of the general population really lives in Lac.

[Annie Kelly]

I mean, I was struck by the fact that nobody has seen him or heard from him for so long on these other trips. Did he kind of pop up on TV or did he make sure that he was seen out and about to at least give people a sense of the fact that he was still alive and still kind of attempting to look presidential?

[Eremo Abigail]

I think you were acting under the impression that. Or that people in the government care about what Cameroonians think to that extent. So the thing is, yes, he has spent up to a third of the year out of the country, but this is the first time that he's spent so many consecutive days out of the country. No one has heard from him. It is, of course, illegal, strangely enough, to speculate about his health, really. Yes, it is. There's a lot of speculation that he's got doctors in Geneva, he trusts Swiss doctors, but there's just no certainty about what he does there. Just that this is the hotel, this is the city. And because there is no communication from the presidency, most of the time, you know, people, the rumor mill just goes into overdrive.

[Annie Kelly]

And what are people saying, like, in this vacuum at the moment, like, are there rumors that he's dead?

[Eremo Abigail]

Oh, there's always, always rumors about him being dead this time. Every single time. Even when the former president of Nigeria died, Muhammad Buhari, which was, I think it was last year. People started asking, oh, is it possible that Beyer is also gone again? And maybe that's why we haven't heard from him for a while. And then he showed up with a public address within a few months. There's been so many times people have thought, oh, is he dead? And then he pops up, is he dead? Oh, and it pops up. So that's how it's always been for at least for the last 10, maybe even 15 years. People have always been speculating, is be a dead, is he alive? It's a. It's a common topic in the drinking palace in Douala, which is the commercial capital.

[Annie Kelly]

Effy, could you tell me, like, in that vacuum, who are the most powerful influences? Like, who are the people circling around that could be involved in any kind of succession battle while he's missing in action?

[Eremo Abigail]

So there's four or five names that we hear constantly. At the very top of that list is the person who even ministers call Madame le President. That is Chantal, the First lady, who of course is mostly with him. She's a very colorful character. And when I say colorful, I mean literally. She's got wigs that are sometimes, I think orange or burgundy. And she. She has flamboyant rings and bags. She's a power dresser, let's put it that way. There's also an interesting age gap between Paul beer and chantal. 36 year gap. And I've heard from diplomats while reporting in Cameroon that government ministers fall over each other to do her bidding. And there was a time when people speculated that Chantal was planning to become president herself. And then over time, that has become her trying to install her child, who is a stepson to the president, to be his successor. Now, this gentleman's name is Frank. Then you also have another Frank, Frank Bias, who is Biyeh's eldest child and who a few years ago officially joined the party. So it's a battle of the Franks, and there's at least two or three other ministers who also want to be president. So you have all of these people competing for influence and competing to succeed Paul Bia if for some reason he becomes temporarily or permanently incapacitated.

[Annie Kelly]

Right. So there's a lot of different people circling, and I'm guessing from all of this that there's no expectation or little expectation that there's going to be a smooth, democratic transition of power if he does die.

[Eremo Abigail]

It is good that you ask that, because as of now, there is no mechanism in place for transition of power. The constitution, as amended earlier this year to allow for a vice president to be appointed, not elected, but to be appointed by the president to deputize him and to succeed him where necessary. But remember that I also told you Ba hasn't appointed a government since winning elections.

[Aura Advertiser]

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[Eremo Abigail]

So there is no vice president as of now. And so even if something happens to be here today and Cameroonians are told this is your vice president, there is no guarantee to know. Did the president say that? There's no question of them being able to even elect vice president or to know that whoever succeed BIA was picked by them. So no one really knows what's happening. If someone will be named vice president within the next few days, Everything is all up in the air. Yeah.

[Annie Kelly]

And what about the opposition? Or is there an opposition? And if so, how powerful are they?

[Eremo Abigail]

Well, when you stay in power for several decades, one of the things that happens is that you would have successfully fragmented the opposition. And so when one almost like a hydra head, when one had comes up, you cut it off, another one comes, you keep them docile. So that's what has happened. And Cameroon has dozens if not over a hundred political parties. And they're all small, small parties. They have spoken up and said, oh, this is a dereliction of duty. And it's not whether or not it is constitutional for the president to take medical leave, but that if the trip is extended for any reason, Cameroonians deserve to know. So they are speaking up. But like I said, the opposition really is powerless.

[Annie Kelly]

Coming up, Paul Beer remains missing in action. Where does that leave ordinary people in Cameroon?

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[Annie Kelly]

Giovanni Wanner, you're a journalist from Cameroon and you know Paul Beer has been in power for decades and decades. What's it like to have a president who's been in power for so long?

[Giovanni Wanner]

Well, I think it's. The country is a bit stagnant and it's a pure reflection. The president is pure reflection of the country. I've known him as the only president my entire lifetime. I'm 28. So yeah, the country is a bit of confusion and quite in a bit of limbo up to this point in time. But that has been our story. That has been our story for over the past four decades and some, and yeah, Cameroonians are just living with it.

[Annie Kelly]

How easy is it for ordinary people to criticize Paul Beer publicly in Cameroon, you know, on social media or on public platforms?

[Giovanni Wanner]

Well, our constitution makes us to understand that there is freedom of speech. But to what extent we do not know because it's good that you've brought this up, Annie. When the former speaker of the House of Assembly, Kavayega Jibri passed earlier this year, a gentleman went on to social media and he made a comment saying that God, we are getting closer to our target. I tell you what, the gentleman has been handed a prison sentence as we speak. So there is a crackdown on youths who attempt to go on social media and speak. Not everyone, but for, for the unfortunate ones. It's illegal on social media to speculate on the health of the head of state though. Annie, we're talking about a 93 year old. So it's a crime if a 93 year old is sick and cannot go about his, his duties as we expect him to. You know already it's, it's asking a lot of him to, to run the country in the way he's been doing so far. Yeah, but according to our constitution there is freedom of speech. But that I really cannot vouch for, especially with the ton of events in the last couple of years.

[Annie Kelly]

But there has been some public anger expressed about Paul Beer's rule. In the last election he secured his eighth term as president. And there was a lot of public anger, wasn't there? You were reporting on the ground. Could you just tell us about what you saw and you know how people were feeling?

[Giovanni Wanner]

Annie, to see it unfold was just heartbreaking. It was heart wrenching because this was a time where people really rallied. I tell you what, back in the day, young people believed that elections did not really exist in Cameroon. So no matter what happened, Paul Be was always going to win. But this time around, somehow young men and women would say, okay, we are going to register and then we are going to vote.

[Annie Kelly]

The Constitutional council declared the 92 year old the winner on Monday with over 53% of the ballots. Issa Chiroma Bakari, the main challenger, insists he won the election and will not accept any other outcome, calling on his supporters to stay mobilized.

[Giovanni Wanner]

So these men and women rallied, registered, voted, counted their votes. And for that one time, for that one time when they thought that their votes were going to count, something as bad as that happened. So that was the reason why they got into the streets like they are fed up and they wanted a change of any sort. The protests were really big. I tell you what, petrol stations were burnt down. Any franchise or enterprise that could identify with the ruling party or the head of state directly or indirectly was crushed immediately. There were campfires, people stayed up. Late in the night. They brought down all the banners or most of the banners of His Excellency President Paul Biya. In the city of Douala, protesters set police cars on fire and riot police use water cannon and tear gas to break up crowds. The crackdown was brutal. People were shot death. I don't think the, the, the, the number, the death to the actual death tool has been put out there. You know, lots of people died, especially in Douala and in the north. And it was clear that there was no backing down. They were just going out there to crush whoever attempted to step out on the streets protesting. And it took a little over 14 days for the protest to calm down. And it was clear most of those doing these actions were the youths. You know, when we spoke to them, they were just tired because they could see no future with this president that they were born and they're living with. And up to this point in time they have absolutely nothing to do in Cameroon. Now when you're done with your studies, the best case scenario is to move out there. They do the best they can do to get, to grab maybe a British visa, maybe to grab a US visa, to grab a Canadian visa. And when they are out There, no matter how the situation out there is, it just seems like it's way better than Cameroon. So that's how bad the country has gotten it.

[Annie Kelly]

So they don't see a future at the moment for their country.

[Giovanni Wanner]

They don't see a future with the president at the helm.

[Annie Kelly]

And having this absent president is, you know, just one of a number of big issues that Cameroon is, has been facing and is facing. Could you just tell us what else is going on in the country right now?

[Giovanni Wanner]

Yeah. We have the Boko Haram insurgents in the north which we are still battling with.

[Annie Kelly]

Kerawa in northern Cameroon has been a frequent target of attacks by Boko Haram extremists. Now residents of this remote town are taking matters into their own hands carrying homemade weapons. They say they are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their turf.

[Giovanni Wanner]

And you know, Cameroon is a bilingual country. We had Britain and France as colonizers and there is an ongoing anglophone crisis. So the English speaking population are the minority who believe that they are being discriminated by the French speaking regions. In 2016 it took a turn for the worst, you know and the whole thing just boomeranged into crazy situation that nobody expected. And then arms found their way to some gentlemen who believe that they were fighting for a certain country that was named Ambazonia. Have you heard of Ambazonia? It's a country that armed separatist groups want to create in English speaking Cameroon.

[Annie Kelly]

In an attack over the weekend, English speaking separatists began an armed rebellion. The conflict in which both sides have been accused of atrocities has already cost over 6,000 lives.

[Giovanni Wanner]

Our correspondent so those are basically some of the problems we are facing.

[Annie Kelly]

And as a young Cameroonian, you know, you said you're 28, you've never known another president. Can you imagine your country without him?

[Giovanni Wanner]

Imagining the country without President Paul Be well, that's going to be really strange, welcoming a new president. I think that's what people are looking for. Because when you look at those who opposed him in 2025, the main opposition leader, Isa Chiruma, he's not a young man himself, but people just want a change. Like they're just tired of being governed by the current administration. Cameroonians are just waiting for a change. A change you give them of any sort. They are going to be contented with it.

[Annie Kelly]

Giovanni, thank you so much for speaking to us today.

[Giovanni Wanner]

Thank you very much. Ani, it's been a pleasure.

[Annie Kelly]

And that's it for today. My thanks to Aromo ebergile and Giovanni Wana. You can read their reporting on this [e-mail] this episode was produced by Hannah Adan and Natalie Kattena and presented by me, Annie Kelly. Sound design was by Ross Burns and the executive producers were Eli Block and Danielle Stevens and we will be back in your feeds this afternoon with with the latest. This is the Guardian.

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