Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, has increasingly become the face of the country on the global stage. From New York to China, the African Union, and France, Mbella Mbella has been representing Cameroon at key international events — often in place of the country’s leader, President Paul Biya, who has been conspicuously absent.
It’s been over 29 days since Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Presidency, announced that Biya’s plane had taken off from Beijing Airport after attending a summit in China. Since then, no official updates have been provided on the president’s whereabouts. Cameroonians remain in the dark as to whether Biya is still in transit or has landed somewhere else.
More recently, it was expected that Biya would attend the La Francophonie summit in France, held from October 4-5, but once again, the president failed to appear.
Mbella Mbella Steps Up
Lejeune Mbella Mbella was part of the delegation that accompanied Biya to China for the Sino-African business summit. However, once the summit ended on September 7, Mbella Mbella’s role on the international stage only grew. He flew to New York, where he congratulated Philemon Yang, Cameroon’s former prime minister, on his election as President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Following this, Mbella Mbella stayed in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, delivering a speech on September 22 on behalf of President Biya. He also chaired a meeting on the sidelines of the assembly, representing the African Union’s peace and security efforts.
From New York, Mbella Mbella traveled to Paris for the La Francophonie summit, which Biya was scheduled to attend but did not. After the conference, Mbella Mbella headed to Hamburg, Germany, to participate in another global summit focused on sustainable development.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was noted: “After representing the Head of State from October 4 to 5, 2024, at the Summit de la Francophonie in Paris, France, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency MBELLA MBELLA, arrived in Germany this Saturday, October 5, to participate in the Hamburg Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held from October 7 to 8, 2024, in the named city. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of the Cameroon delegation led by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, and Personal Representative to the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya.”
The statement, however, provided no information about the elusive president’s whereabouts, leaving Cameroonians and the international community with lingering questions.
