The authorities of Cameroon have banned the media from reporting about their
president, Paul Biya's, health. There have been rumours surrounding his potential
death. The interior minister, Paul Atanga Nji, told regional governors that the
consequence of the media reporting about the president will “disturb the tranquillity
of the Cameroonians;”. The president, aged 91, has been in charge for more than 40
years. The last time he was seen in the public eye was September 8th, when he
attended Beijing for a China-Africa forum.
As a result of this ban, journalists have stated that they consider it a violation of their
freedom to report. The head of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
suggested, “The Cameroonian government should simply put the rumours to rest by
arranging a public appearance”. Hopefully the people of Cameroon will receive an
address from their leader soon to ease their worries and silence the rumours.
