Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, who is 91 years old, came back to his country on Monday. He had been away for 42 days, which made people wonder about his health and where he was.
Biya and his wife Chantal flew back from Geneva on a special plane. They landed at Nsimalen International Airport in Yaounde, the capital city, just before 5 p.m.
When they arrived, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Biya’s secretary general, met them at the airport. Biya talked with him briefly before getting into his car.
The president didn’t speak to the public. But as his car was leaving the airport, he waved at people through the back window.
Because Biya was gone for so long, many people thought he might be sick, or worse, dead. The government had to tell everyone that the president was healthy.
Read Also: Cameroun ban media discuss on Biya’s health amid growing concerns
Cameroon then made it against the law to talk about Biya’s health, saying it was a matter of national security.
Thousands of people who support Biya’s political party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), lined the 22-kilometer (13-mile) road from the airport to the president’s palace. They wore clothes with Biya’s picture on them.
Other people also came out to see for themselves that the president was still alive.
There were big signs welcoming the president back and wishing him well. Some people held up banners too. One of them said: “Long life to His Excellency Paul Biya, father of the nation.”
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