Biya’s absences raise questions about who holds power and what comes next in Cameroon.
![Cameroonian President Paul Biya listens as Pope Leo XIV (not pictured) delivers a speech, at the Presidential Palace in Yaounde, during his apostolic journey to Cameroon, April 15, 2026 [Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-04T112926Z_171110095_RC2SPKAJNCV9_RTRMADP_3_CAMEROON-POLITICS-1787569502.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Journalist in Cameroon
Biya’s absences raise questions about who holds power and what comes next in Cameroon.
![Cameroonian President Paul Biya listens as Pope Leo XIV (not pictured) delivers a speech, at the Presidential Palace in Yaounde, during his apostolic journey to Cameroon, April 15, 2026 [Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-04T112926Z_171110095_RC2SPKAJNCV9_RTRMADP_3_CAMEROON-POLITICS-1787569502.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
A century ago, Germany, France and Britain claimed Cameroon at different times. The scars are seen in conflicts today.
