Key facts
- President Paul Biya has reshuffled senior military staff.
- Commanders were replaced in four of Cameroon's five joint military regions.
- Biya, 93, has been out of public view for 58 days since leaving Cameroon on June 7.
- The decrees were signed from Geneva, where Biya is on a private stay.
- Several colonels were promoted to brigadier general, including the head of the presidential guard.
Cameroon's veteran leader Paul Biya, the world's oldest head of state at 93, has reshuffled the country's military leadership while remaining out of public view for nearly two months. The decrees, signed from Geneva where he is on a private stay, included promotions of several colonels to brigadier general and replacements of commanders in four of the nation's five joint military regions. Raymond Jean Charles Beko'o Abondo, one of the newly promoted brigadier generals, was reappointed as commander of the elite presidential guard. Such changes are not uncommon under Biya's administration, particularly during periods of public scrutiny. His prolonged absence since June 7 has fueled speculation about his health and governance capacity, with the opposition criticizing what they term a "glaring institutional vacuum." However, Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi stated that the president is alive and will return soon, dismissing claims of a vacancy at the helm of state.