President Paul Biya, after participating in the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, is not returning to Cameroon just yet. Instead, the 91-year-old leader, accompanied by close aides, has travelled to the Swiss capital, Geneva, for a staycation beginning on August 1, 2024. This marks his first visit to his favorite relaxation spot since 2019.
His last stay at the Continental Hotel in Geneva witnessed an unusual scene following an attack by some activists of Cameroonian descent identifying as Brigade Anti Sardinard.
President Biya’s security retaliated with brute force, attracting the wrath of Swiss judiciary, which sentenced some of them to six months suspended jail terms. The verdict was upheld by the appellate court.
Biya’s latest sojourn to Switzerland comes at a time when calls are multiplying at home for him to consider stepping down as captain of the Cameroonian nation.
While some base their arguments on age, others say he has repeatedly violated the constitution of the Republic.
The calls are not only from his opponents but also from within his own ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, political party
Without surprise, it was Jean Michel Nintcheu, an opposition member of Parliament for Wouri East, who, during a recent interview with Jeune Afrique Magazine demanded the resignation of President Paul Biya for repeatedly violating the constitution.
While Cameroonians were digesting Nintcheu’s outing, another fell like a bombshell from within his own party that he has had a grip on as long as he has been president of Cameroon.
Ten members of the CPDM, drawn from the grassroots level of the party in some regions, signed a joint statement asking President Paul Biya to retire as party leader and President of Cameroon, stating that the party risks being decimated at next year’s presidential elections if the octogenarian is the CPDM candidate.
