Brussels 09.10.2025 Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya appeared this week at his first campaign rally for the upcoming election in which the world’s oldest head of state is seeking his eighth term.
Cameroon 🇨🇲
Paul Biya 92 who can barely walk or speak is seeking for the 8th Presidential term
After 43 years in power, Africans wonder if no other Cameroonian can run the country. pic.twitter.com/ziZQS8Thak
— Africa Today Media Group (@africatodayMG) October 8, 2025
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Addressing a crowd of supporters at a stadium in the Far North town of Maroua, Biya promised to step up security in the region plagued by extremist attacks, reduce youth unemployment and improve road infrastructure and social amenities if he stays at power due to Sunday’s vote.
“I am well aware of the problems that concern you, I know the unfulfilled expectations that make you doubt the future,” he said. “Based on my own experience, I can assure you that these problems are not insurmountable.”
The Far North Region is majority Muslim and one of Cameroon’s poorest areas. It has been plagued by attacks and kidnappings for ransom by the extremist group Boko Haram.
It also accounts for nearly one fifth of the country’s 8.2 million eligible voters, and two of the nine opposition candidates in the election — Biya’s former allies Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary — command a strong following in the Far North.
As Cameroon heads to the polls on Sunday, voters in the Anglophone regions risk being sidelined again. Secessionists have banned voting and declared a lockdown, but the government is urging residents to turn out despite threats of violence. pic.twitter.com/rSxjo9KqlH
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) October 9, 2025
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The incumbent pesident most prominent rival from the 2018 election, Maurice Kamto, has been barred from contesting, leaving the field fragmented among 12 candidates. The strongest challenger now appears to be Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson and minister who defected earlier this year to oppose Biya.https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Biya’s re-election bid comes amid rapidly growing frustration over his government’s handling of basic infrastructure, economic stagnation, and governance in the resource-rich Central African nation. His rare public appearances fueling speculation about his fragile health have raised concerns about the future of leadership in Cameroon.Cameroon President Paul Biya made a very rare appearance on the campaign trail earlier today looking for his 8th term. Viewers who were waiting to see him emerge from his vehicle in this livestream had to make do with plenty of shots of the crowd before the 92-year old was… pic.twitter.com/s2OI8WXqx3
— Waihiga Mwaura (@WaihigaMwaura) October 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The outing was Biya’s first in a campaign from which he has been noticeably absent, and he only recently returned from a weeklong stay in Switzerland. No official reason for his stay abroad has been given but Biya has regularly traveled to Europe for private stays and medical treatment in recent years. Biya is rarely seen in public and critics say his capacity to govern has been severely limited by his age-related problems.Cameroonian 🇨🇲
— Tilingi 🐘🐘🐘 (@ArapTilingi) October 6, 2025
Presidential candidate Paul Biya who is 92 and has served as president since 1982 sends his statue to his campaigns since he is unable to attend in person because of old age and the people are cheering. What is wrong with Africa? pic.twitter.com/bBgJ5O3kLu
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