There is no greater tragedy for a nation than to be governed by a man who has long outlived his purpose; a man older than the atomic bomb, older than internet, older than Space ship, older than African Union, and off course, older than his country. In Cameroon, President Paul Biya has turned political power into a lifelong possession. At over ninety years of age, Biya continues to contest and “win” elections in a country where the electoral process has become more ritual than reaity.
His continued stay in power is less a reflection of the people’s will than of a political system sustained by external interest, particularly that of France. Paul Biya has transformed himself from president to king, from leader to relic, from human to monument of failure. And like every monument, he no longer moves, yet his shadow covers an entire nation. Behind this endurance of misrule lies a powerful external hand. France. France consictently support Biya, turning a blind eye to Biya’s democratic abuses, ethnic cleansing, electoral manipulation, and human rights violations, all in exchange for continued economic access. French corporations still control key sectors of Cameroon’s economy, including oil, infrastructure, and banking.
In Africa, the colonial oppression never truly ended; it simply changed its language and its methods. Biya has reduced Cameroon to a playground of decay where elections are a joke, democracy a lie, and people’s voices mere background noise. He sits in Yaounde like a crown-wearing corpse, dragging the nation backward while pretending to lead it forward. At over ninety, his only strength is his determination never to leave power. A power he no longer understands.
But the greater shame is not Biya’s age or greed. It is France, his puppeteer, that keeps this corpse of power on life support. France feeds him with international legitimacy in exchange for Cameroon’s lifeblood – oil, timber, gold, and pride. Every rigged election Biya wins, Paris celebrates with silence. Every protest he crushes, Paris calls “internal affairs.” Every young Cameroonian who flees the country in despair is another victory for French control.
France has mastered the colonial art of remote control, using aging African rulers as antennas to transmit their will. Cameroon is not governed; it is managed, managed by France through Biya, just as other African countries are milked through leaders who serve foreign interests over their own people.
The tragedy of Cameroon is the tragedy of Africa. It is so unfortunate that African Union is a gathering of sycophants, whose souls are rented out to Europe. They ignore the atrocities of each other, unless they are ordered to speak by Western powers. Biya’s government survives not by the will of Cameroonians but by the signatures of French diplomats who fear losing another colony to consciousness.
Biya’s rule is not governance. It is occupation by consent of a foreign power. The streets of Yaounde whisper despair; the youths flee in search of life outside their homeland; Anglophone regions bleed under the weight of state violence. Yet France stands behind Biya, applauding the illusion of “stability” while profiting from the chaos. The people’s suffering is the tax paid for France’s comfort.
Paul Biya has never been a leader; he is a French project. He is the political equivalent of a colonial relic polished to appear presidential. His existence in power is proof that independence without sovereignty is another name for slavery.
It is time for Cameroon, and indeed for Africa, to rethink the relationship between sovereignty and dependency. A truly independent nation cannot continue to be governed under the shadow of foreign influence. This, I stand on: Cameroon shall rise again. Not under Biya, not under France, but under the banner of her own people.
– Ambassador Ezewele Cyril Abionanojie is the author of the book ‘The Enemy Called Corruption’ an award winner of Best Columnist of the year 2020, Giant in Security Support, Statesmanship Integrity & Productivity Award Among others. He is the President of Peace Ambassador Global.