The 91-year-old President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, has been seen in public for the first time in six weeks, sparking speculation about his declining health.
His absence from the public glare sparked false allegations about his death.
However, on Monday afternoon, official television broadcast footage of the president arriving at the capital’s airport, Yaoundé, after a flight from Switzerland.
The government had prohibited the media from addressing Biya’s health, who has been in power since 1982, citing national security concerns.
Rumours of his death have circulated intermittently throughout the last two decades.
Monday’s television images show the president dressed in his typical tidy, modest suit and appearing obviously strong.
Biya was last spotted on September 8, attending a China-Africa summit in Beijing.
Since then, the administration has been under intense pressure to prove that the long-serving leader was still alive.
Government officials eventually denied that he had died, claiming that Biya was in good health and on a private trip to Geneva.
He is known for his frequent excursions to the Swiss city.
After landing, Biya was greeted by state authorities and ruling party members.
The unprecedented deployment of people on some streets in the capital indicates that the government’s explicit purpose is to put an end to speculation regarding his well-being.
His reappearance could inspire calls from within his CPDM party for him to run for another seven-year term in next year’s election.
While the “Lion Man,” as his supporters refer to him, has yet to publicly announce whether he would run, critics say his recent political activities indicate an attempt to tighten the governing party’s iron grip on power.
