Cameroonian leader Paul Biya, a long-standing figurehead for the nation, has enacted a military reshuffle while concerns mount over his extended absence from public view, now spanning nearly two months.

The 93-year-old president appointed several key officials to prominent military positions and elevated five colonels to the rank of brigadier general.

Such sweeping changes within the armed forces are not unprecedented during Biya’s lengthy tenure, often occurring amid heightened public scrutiny or moments of perceived vulnerability.

Following an unexpected coup d’état three years prior in neighboring Gabon, which destabilized the Bongo dynasty and sent ripples across the continent, Cameroon promptly restructured its military command.

Subsequently, as he sought a contentious eighth term during the presidential elections held last year, President Biya once again modified the army’s senior ranks.

Just last June, he advanced numerous personnel within the defense and security forces to higher echelons.

The precise circumstances surrounding these most recent alterations have ignited considerable discussion, particularly across social media platforms.

President Biya issued these separate decrees on Monday from Geneva, Switzerland, where he has remained since departing Cameroon on June 7 for what his office characterized as a “brief private stay.”

Within Cameroon, widespread criticism has emerged regarding the scarcity of information about his activities and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the exact duration of his international travel.

Despite promising to establish a new government following last year’s elections, that pledge remains unfulfilled. The position of vice-president, instituted last April, also continues to be unoccupied.

Throughout his nearly 60-day sojourn abroad, he has endorsed several other decrees, including some that empower his administration to finalize loan agreements with various international financial institutions.

His prolonged absence has fueled renewed speculation concerning his health, yet government officials have consistently refuted claims of the head of state’s hospitalization.

Two years ago, press freedom organizations expressed outrage when it was decreed that Cameroonian media outlets were prohibited from reporting on President Biya’s health status.

René Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, affirmed in an interview that the president is alive and will soon return to the country.

He further dismissed opposition claims suggesting the nonagenarian leader’s absence constituted a vacancy at the helm of the state, maintaining that Biya continues to conduct affairs from Geneva.

However, Mamadou Mota, Vice-President of the opposition CRM party, contends that President Biya’s extended absence signifies a “flagrant institutional void” within Cameroon.

“Executive power must be exercised at the nation’s core, not through smoke signals or telepathy from hotel suites across the globe,” he asserted last month.