Source: Presidentpaulbiyatwitter.com /  Cameroon President Paul Biya in meeting with the Ambassador of France to Cameroon Christophe Guilhou  at the Palais de l’Unité in Yaoundé, April 16, 2020.

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The 87-year-old President of  Cameroon Paul  Biya apparently disappeared from the public eye for weeks, sparking rumors of his health status with some speculating he had died.  Biya finally surfaced in  a well publicized photo of him sitting with the Ambassador of France to Cameroon Christophe Guilhou in capital  city Yaoundé last Thursday.  Meanwhile,  central African nation Cameroon reportedly has more than  15 times as many confirmed cases of COVID19- as any other country in the central African sub-region and one of the highest numbers of daily new cases on the continent.  Many think it odd that Biya has not publicly addressed his nation’s citizens since the country registered its first case on March 6.   Five weeks ago, Cameroon’s main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto issued an initial seven-day ultimatum, calling on president Biya to personally address the nation.

Ambassadeur de France -Cameroon  Christophe Guilhou 

« Depuis mon arrivée, je suis admiratif du génie camerounais 🇨🇲. Vous avez d'immenses artistes, d'immenses sportifs. Peu de pays ont une telle richesse et un tel dynamisme »
🎙 Mon interview hier soir à la @CRTV_web :https://t.co/UGQFZf2vvH

— Christophe Guilhou (@ChrisGuilhou) April 20, 2020

Cameroon Opposition Accuses Government of Assassination Attempt Against Leader Kamto

Credit:  agencecamerounpresse.com  / Cameroon’s main opposition leader Maurice Kamto

Last month,   Cameroon’s main opposition party accused the government of trying to kill  its leader, Maurice Kamto.  The Cameroon Resistance Movement claimed  an armed gunman tried to kill Kamto during a visit to the city of Garoua last Friday.  The government has denied the accusation.  Kamto  was riding in a car, with crowds of supporters lining both sides of the road, when his private security guards riding behind him dove toward someone following them on a motorcycle.  The guards said the man was carrying a rifle to kill Kamto.  The central  Africa nation has been  gripped by violence in the wake of the country’s disputed October 2018 presidential election.   Paul Biya, an octogenarian who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years, was  sworn in  November 2018  as the  country’s  President for a seventh term.  The opposition accused the October 7 elections of being rigged in favor of Biya.

Cameroon Admits Army role in February Massacre of Civilians: Al Jazeera

Cameroon has admitted that three members of its armed forces were involved in the February killing of 13 civilians, including 10 children, in the country’s anglophone area, according to a report by Al Jazeera. The government had previously denied any role in the killings in the region, where English-speaking separatists have been fighting government forces since 2017.