Cameroon: Ban on Discussions About Biya’s Health Creates a Streisand Effect Globally

Authorities in Cameroon have banned all discussions about the health of the country’s 91-year-old President, hoping to shield the ailing leader from continued media scrutiny.

That strategy has instead created a Streisand effect, with both nationals and the international community now paying closer attention.

On October 9, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, issued a communiqué claiming that the head of state’s health is a “security issue.”

It was a sequel to reports by a TV station owned by Southern Cameroons’ pro-independence movements in the diaspora, claiming that President Paul Biya had died.

That claim triggered alarm bells within the Cameroon ruling establishment, with at least five government ministers issuing communiqués to debunk the report.

Mr. Atanga Nji, the Permanent Secretary to the Security Council, went a notch higher and formally forbade any discussions about Mr. Biya’s health.

He directed regional governors to set up commissions to monitor the press for discussions on the president’s health. He warned that defaulters would face the heavy hand of the law.

Human Rights Watch has blasted the decision as an affront to exercising free speech in the country.

“…this decision is just the latest in a series of government moves seeking to squash free speech ahead of the 2025 presidential elections,” the rights organization said in a statement.

It came up with a long list of abuses carried out against free speech by authorities in Cameroon.

In March, the government banned two opposition coalitions, labeling them as “clandestine movements.” In June, gendarmes in the Adamawa region arbitrarily arrested prominent artist Aboubacar Sidiki, known as Babadjo, for “insulting” a governor. By July, the head of the Mfoundi administrative division issued a decision threatening to ban anyone insulting state institutions. That same month, Intelligence Services in the Littoral region arrested social media activist Junior Ngombe for his TikTok videos advocating democratic change. Additionally, security forces forcibly disappeared and allegedly tortured Ramon Cotta, another social media activist based in Libreville- Gabon, known for his TikTok videos criticizing Cameroonian authorities.

Ramon Cotta reportedly reappeared at the Kondengui maximum security prison a few days ago.

“Free speech is key in any system aspiring to be democratic,” HRW said.

“Under international human rights law, freedom of expression is not absolute, but may only be restricted on limited grounds, and restrictions must be necessary, proportionate, and not discriminatory. The minister’s decision doesn’t meet this threshold.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has also blasted the Cameroon government for its continued efforts to muzzle freedom of the press.

“The Cameroonian government should end its threats to sanction private media journalists who report on the condition and whereabouts of President Paul Biya, 91, who has not been seen publicly for over a month and has missed scheduled international engagements,” CPJ said in a statement Thursday.

“The Cameroonian government should simply put the rumors to rest by arranging a public appearance by the head of state,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program in New York.

“The health of the president, who has been in power for 41 years and may seek reelection next year, is of public interest. Any misguided attempt to censor reporting about his health for national security reasons simply fuels rampant speculation,” she explained.

Paul Biya left the country on September 4 to participate in the China-Africa Summit, FOCAC, from September 4-September 6.

The last time Cameroonians were given a clue as to the whereabouts of their President was on September 8, when the communications service of the Presidency announced that he had left Beijing, China, after the FOCAC forum. The message on X, formerly known as Twitter, did not specify the President’s next destination.

Mr. Biya has, therefore, clocked 40 days out of the country, raising concerns that his health situation might have deteriorated or that he might have died (as per the claim made by Southern Cameroons pro-independence TV, the Ambazonia Broadcasting System (ABS).

The frantic denials of these unflattering speculations by the government and the threats on anyone who attempts discussions about the President’s health have had the opposite effect: they have created a Streisand effect worldwide; the world is taking notice.