Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, 93, has been absent from the country for two months, leaving many to wonder about his health and who is running the government in his absence.

A Long History of Leadership

Biya has been in power since 1982 and has spent extended periods abroad during his presidency. However, his latest absence has revived questions about his health and the country’s governance.

Government spokesman René Emmanuel Sadi told French radio RFI that Biya was in Geneva, Switzerland, and was not hospitalized, but did not give more detail on his whereabouts.

Concerns About Governance

Rumors about Biya’s health and whereabouts have long been part of public life in Cameroon, where he is rarely seen in public. His office has repeatedly had to push back against speculation that he was seriously ill or had died.

Political analyst Collins Molua Ikome said he saw some of the country’s problems firsthand when he visited Cameroon in April. “Roads in Cameroon are extremely bad. I even witnessed a fatal accident,” he told CNN.

Ikome also pointed to frequent power cuts, corruption, and a lack of jobs for young people.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.