Cameroon's Aging Autocrat Paul Biya Tightens Military Grip from Luxurious Geneva Exile
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President Paul Biya, absent from Cameroon for nearly two months, exploits his unchecked power to promote five colonels to generals and reappoint the presidential guard chief, fueling outrage over his undemocratic, remote rule.
President Paul Biya of Cameroon, who at 93 clings to power from the comfort of a Geneva hotel, has once again demonstrated the entrenched authoritarianism plaguing Cameroon. Signing a decree from abroad, Biya promoted five colonels to brigadier general and shuffled senior army officials, including reinstalling Raymond Jean Charles Beko'o Abondo as head of the presidential guard—a move emblematic of his regime’s reliance on military loyalty over democratic legitimacy. The announcement, relayed by the president’s office and reported by the BBC, comes as Biya remains hidden from public view since early June, his so-called 'brief private stay' abroad now stretching to 58 days, according to Reuters. Despite his absence, Biya continues to wield unchecked executive power, issuing decrees on foreign loans while failing to deliver on promises such as forming a new cabinet or appointing a vice-president, a position created in April but left vacant. Government officials parrot claims that Biya is in good health and control, with a spokesperson insisting, 'the president is alive.' Yet opposition voices, including CRM’s Mamadou Mota, highlight the democratic deficit and governance vacuum created by Biya’s extended absence, describing the country as 'governed by remote control.' This latest military reshuffle fits a pattern of Biya’s manipulation of the armed forces during periods of political instability, such as after Gabon’s 2023 coup and Cameroon’s own disputed 2023 election. The president’s decision to sign decrees from a foreign luxury hotel has sparked widespread debate online about the opacity and legitimacy of his rule, underscoring the urgent need for real democratic change in Cameroon.