Recent reactions from Etoudi on the bill of health of President Paul Biya have still not dispelled all doubts. Biya’s return to Yaoundé the nation’s capital has been announced “in the very next few days,” according to Minister René Emmanuel Sadi’s terms. But senior officials contacted by Cameroon Intelligence Report today in Yaoundé say they are unsure of the president’s condition.

A Cameroonian diplomat in Geneva with strong ties to Etoudi told our correspondent that it’s a bit difficult to comment, because the information about President Biya is coming from different places and from different sources.

Our source who sued for anonymity furthered that cabinet ministers and ambassadors in Europe are now very careful with what they say.

On June 9, 2004, after being reported dead a few days earlier and having met the rumour with the same silence, Paul Biya reappeared on the tarmac of Yaoundé-Nsimalen airport, arriving—once again—from Geneva.

But his absence this time around comes at a crucial moment for Cameroon, a country that is facing a powerful secessionist movement in the two English speaking regions of the country.

The country’s second in command, Marcel Niat is also a living corpse and he is presently too weak to chair security meetings.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that the 91-year-old Biya mandated the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh to deputize for him. There are questions now about whether Biya has completed the legal transfer of power to Ngoh Ngoh. In short, these are times that require strong leadership, not a lack thereof.

The general political temperature is gearing up and Barrister Akere Muna recently announced his 8-point plan for next year’s presidential election.  Muna made a strong presentation but avoided the issue of the president’s health and also who is in charge of state affairs.

The next presidential election is scheduled for October 2025.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Eight people were killed and one remains missing after two wooden boats capsized overnight into Wednesday in Cameroon’s Far North Region, state broadcaster CRTV reported.

The first accident occurred on the Logone River in Mayo Danay Division, where heavy rain triggered violent waves, causing the boat’s engine to fail and leading to its capsize, local authorities told CRTV. Five of the six people on board drowned, while one remains missing. Rescue workers continue to search for the missing person, who is feared dead.

In a separate accident in the Wina locality of the same division, a hippopotamus attacked a boat crossing the river, killing three people, CRTV reported.

Boat accidents are common in the region during the rainy season, often caused by overloading and severe weather, local authorities said.

Source: Xinhuanet

The Ministry of Public Works (Mintp) reports that over CFA11 billion has been allocated to municipalities in the Northwest region between 2020 and 2024. This funding also includes an additional CFA1.3 billion transferred to the Regional Council in 2023 and 2024, aimed at maintaining local roads.

Despite this financial support, road construction remains challenging in the Northwest. Since late 2016, the Northwest and Southwest regions have faced the Anglophone crisis, marked by violence from separatist militants seeking to divide the country.

As of now, 44% of the road network in the Northwest is under active contracts, yet no work is being done. “The reasons are clear: the Anglophone crisis,” stated Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Minister of Public Works, during a parliamentary session in November 2021. He noted that many companies have abandoned their projects, while others have failed to engage.

A prime example of the difficulties in road construction in the Northwest is the Babadjou-Bamenda road. This route connects the Western region to the Northwest and was contracted to Sogea-Satom in 2017. However, the company suspended work in September of that year due to attacks on its equipment and threats against its staff from armed separatists.

After a brief lull, construction resumed but faced further disruptions. Work was again halted on January 14, 2020, following a deadly attack just a week earlier. Since January 2022, the Cameroonian company Buns has taken over the project, following a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defense (Mindef) to secure the site with military protection.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The European Union recently expressed regret over Cameroon’s failure to implement the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) regarding guarantees on timber harvested and exported to EU member states. This agreement serves as a legal framework to combat illegal logging and the associated trade. However, 13 years after Cameroon signed the agreement, “logging still partly relies on small-scale permits (cutting sales) that do not require management plans. National control systems are not operational, leaving regulations poorly enforced and governance weak, enabling the continuation of illegal logging operations, which harm the environment,” the European Commission said in a decision made public on October 2.

In the absence of strict enforcement of the agreement, Cameroon, according to EU-cited investigations, has continued to allow illegal forest exploitation. “Numerous investigations have revealed the dismal state of the forestry sector, highlighting the involvement of private companies, both foreign and domestic, as well as public sector actors in a timber trade representing millions of illegally-sourced dollars,” the EU stated, adding that “between 2011 and 2022, 900,000 hectares of forest cover were lost, equivalent to 5% of the country’s total forest cover.”

The EU’s 27 member states are particularly frustrated that Cameroon has not strengthened its forestry laws to continue exporting its timber species to other markets. “In addition, Cameroon’s wood exports have been redirected towards Asian markets, diluting the economic incentive of the VPA,” lamented the EU.

The failure to implement the VPA also damages the EU’s image, as the agreement is a key instrument in its international credibility in the fight against deforestation. “Continuing the VPA despite these challenges could harm the EU’s credibility as a global leader in forest protection and biodiversity, and undermine the integrity of VPAs as EU trade tools,” the organization warned.

As a result, given the lack of will by Cameroonian authorities to enforce the agreement, the European Union has decided to terminate it “no later than November 30, 2024, so that it will not be renewed automatically.” With this decision, the EU has marked its intention not to extend the VPA, which is set to expire on November 30, 2025. It should be noted that the VPA was last renewed automatically on December 1, 2018. The Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, contacted by SBBC, has yet to comment on the issue.

Source: Business in Cameroon

A logging truck collided with an intercity passenger bus, a Coaster model operated by Galaxie Voyages, near Kombe on the Yaoundé-Sangmelima road in Cameroon. Witnesses said the accident happened today at the Nnemeyong bend. The bus had left Sangmelima around 7 a.m. heading to Yaoundé.

Local sources reported that at least 19 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage by law enforcement. Several others were injured. There was no official statement about the accident as of publication time.

Source: Sbbc

As rumours continue to circulate about the health of the Cameroonian president, Cameroon’s Paris-based diplomat André Magnus Ekoumou says Biya is in Geneva.

For nearly a month, the health of Paul Biya, 91, has been the subject of widespread speculation, as the Cameroonian president has successively cancelled appearances at the United Nations General Assembly, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) summit, and the Sustainable Development forum in Hamburg, Germany.

While the Cameroonian diaspora was mobilising in the Paris suburbs, where Paul Biya was allegedly hospitalised at the Percy military hospital in Clamart, the rumours reached a new peak on 8 October with the broadcast, by South African channel ABS Africa TV, of the announcement of the head of state’s death.

A “completely baseless piece of news”

Contacted by Jeune Afrique on 8 October, André Magnus Ekoumou, Cameroon’s ambassador to France, stated, however, that “Paul Biya has never been hospitalised in Clamart or anywhere in France”. Expressing his displeasure at the spread of rumours, the diplomat also confirmed the information that the president “is currently in Geneva”.

He added that the head of state is “in good health”, while some of our sources close to the presidency have indicated that he is currently under medical supervision after complications caused by his diplomatic activity in July and August.

From Yaoundé, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, also took to his X account to address the rumours of the president’s death. “Those who are trying, by various means, to deceive public opinion by announcing the death of the Cameroonian head of state must pay a high price for such a gross lie. Since they no longer have any human conscience, the appropriate institutions must take action against these impostors, no matter their origin or location. We are in a democracy, but malice and hatred have their limits!” he declared.

‘Baseless news’

Jacques Fame Ndongo, Secretary for Communications of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement and Minister of Higher Education, also penned a statement, in his own characteristic style: “This news is completely baseless. This phantasmagorical scheme must not shake the political maturity, clear-headedness, and patriotism of Cameroonians and our friends. Universal journalism relies on facts, not on fantasies or malicious news. It follows a rigorous approach inspired by experimental sciences, including observation, hypothesis, verification, and law, as Gaston Bachelard pointed out. Journalism is both an art, a technique, and a science.”

A segment of the political class called, on 8 October, for clarification from the civil cabinet of the presidency, led by Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, regarding the president’s true health status and the possibility of a vacancy of power. Noting the “prolonged absence” of Paul Biya and urging Cameroonians to “remain sufficiently cautious and vigilant,” the Cameroon Democratic Union, headed by MP Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, called on the presidency, the government, or “any other competent institution […] to take responsibility by providing official information to the people.”

Source: The Africa Report

Ministers Fame Ndongo and Gregoire Owona have reassured Cameroonians about the health of President Paul Biya, 91, and expressed anger at those who announced the demise of the ailing dictator, Cameroon Radio and Television reported on Tuesday after Prime Minister Dion Ngute reportedly cancelled the weekly cabinet meeting.

Cameroon Concord News reported that President Paul Biya had a prostate operation and the dictator is bedridden at the Percy Army Training Hospital known in French as the Hôpital National D’instruction Des Armées Percy located at 2 Rue Lieutenant Raoul, Batamy, 92140 Clamart, France.

Biya has been in power since 1982 and his Francophone dominated government has for years sought to quell speculation over his health.

Last week the presidency disclosed that he was sick and undergoing medical treatment in Paris or Geneva but no one deep within government circle is saying whether he has recovered.

Paul Biya has not been seen in public since leaving Beijing on 8 September after attending the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC).

His time as head of state has been marked by empty ambitious social and economic programs largely managed by corrupt political elites from his Beti-Bulu tribal extraction, many of whom are trying to position themselves as Cameroon’s next head of state.

For 42 years, Biya has also overseen an intense crackdown on dissent that analysts say has helped him consolidate power.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Cameroon has joined the AgSys (Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies) project, a global initiative launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Funded with €5 million—around CFA3.2 billion—the project will run for four years (2023-2027) and will assist Cameroon in transforming its agricultural systems to enhance sustainability.

AgSys aims to help the beneficiary make the shift toward sustainable farming by building on existing partnerships and adding policy advice approaches. The idea is to create food systems that provide healthy and affordable food for everyone while respecting the planet’s limits. Right now, this is a challenge, as many agricultural systems negatively impact the environment and climate. To address this, about 30 public and private sector representatives, civil society members, and researchers gathered for a workshop in Douala from September 30 to October 1, 2024. The goal was to discuss quality standards for sustainable agriculture and set priorities for the sector in Cameroon.

This workshop took place 10 months after the project’s launch and addressed some of the roadblocks it faces. Marthe Epassy, AgSys-GIZ’s technical advisor, explained, “The purpose of the workshop was to identify the regulatory and political challenges slowing down the promotion of sustainable agriculture.” Several reforms are currently in progress to revitalize the sector, including a law on organic farming passed at the end of 2023 and an outdated seed law from 2001 that needs updating. Additionally, implementation texts for the interprofessional law are still awaited. These processes are seen as critical to removing barriers and ensuring the successful execution of the sustainable food systems roadmap.

However, advancing these reforms has been slow due to different interpretations of the issues involved and conflicting interests, according to GIZ. AgSys focuses on actively involving key players in the reform process, encouraging them to advocate for these laws, recognizing the importance of sustainable agriculture.

The project tackles five main areas: developing a sustainable and inclusive political and regulatory framework, strengthening production systems through professional associations, promoting “Made in Cameroon” sustainable products, improving marketing in both national and international markets, and establishing a quality control system for sustainable agricultural products. Funding will be made available through microfinance institutions to increase competitive agricultural loans, particularly for vulnerable groups.

The project also considers gender, digitalization, and institutional development, aiming to increase sustainable production, improve infrastructure, and enhance governance in the country’s food systems.

Source: Business in Cameroon

President Biya’s family is now living in a well guarded house in France, it has been claimed.

Aides to the dictator have moved his family and a select band of relatives to France late yesterday. The move is said to have come about after the 91-year-old leader disappeared from public view.

Intelligence sources told Cameroon Intelligence Report that the Biya family is now under the protection of the French government, which effectively amounts to political asylum.

Cameroon Intelligence Report was also told that Biya’s family fear of chaos in Yaoundé the capital is one of the reasons why they have moved to Paris.

France has remained an ally of the regime since Biya took office from the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1982.

Biya has not been seen in public since leaving Beijing on 8 September after attending the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC).

Government sources say he is sick and undergoing medical treatment in Paris or Geneva.

We gathered that a bad prostate operation in France reportedly weakened the Cameroon strong man.

“It’s over now for Mr. Biya” our source said, adding that the Biya family may not return to Cameroon even with his remains.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with Intel files

It is being reported in France and Switzerland that Cameroon’s President is no more.

The 91-year-old dictator, who undertook a long tiring journey to China, might not be returning to his country in front of the plane.

Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for almost 42 years, seems to have succumbed to the inevitable after a tough fight with prostate cancer which spread to other vital organs.

For many years, Mr. Biya has been a colony of diseases, with heart problems and memory failure stalking him like a stubborn shadow.

If this news gets confirmed, Mr. Biya will be remembered as a man who single-handedly destroyed a prosperous country handed over to him by the country’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Once a buoyant nation, Cameroon is dealing with many development issues. The country’s economy has been in poor health for decades, causing many young Cameroonians to look outwards for opportunities.

Youth unemployment is very high and salaries are very low. Cameroonians have been transformed into “the roving Jews” of Africa by a man they thought would lead them to the land of promise when he took power in 1982.

Since taking over power in 1982, Mr. Biya has spent more time, money and energy just to maintain himself in power. The country has the worst roads on the continent and health care is unreliable.

Currently, there are reports of troop movement in Yaoundé. In the morning, helicopters could be seen and heard flying over the nation’s capital.

According to a military source, authorities in Yaoundé know that Mr. Biya’s time is over and the military might be preparing to take over or to ensure that chaos does not ensue when the news of the dictator’s death reaches Yaoundé.

Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent in France and Yaoundé are keeping an eye on the situation. Our Yaoundé city reporter who spoke to a senior military officer in the morning of Sunday said that the news was not good. Biya might be breathing his last and it is no surprise that the news of his death is already spreading.

Our Yaoundé correspondent also quoted the military source as saying that it was up to Cameroonians to urge the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of their president.

The senior military officer is also quoted as saying that people around the dictator were doing much to hide the truth and to intimidate the population.

This is a developing story.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai