Cameroonian government has prohibited public discourse concerning the health of President Paul Biya, labelling it a matter of national security.This announcement follows ongoing efforts by authorities to counter rumours suggesting that the 91-year-old leader has passed away while abroad.

In a statement released on Thursday, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji emphasised that the president represents the country's highest institution and that any discussions regarding his health fall under national security concerns.

“All debate in the media about the health of the President of the Republic is consequently formally prohibited,” Atanga Nji said, warning that “offenders will have to face the rigour of the law.”The minister directed regional governors to create monitoring units to record programmes and debates in the private and social media and identify authors of “tendentious comments.”

media has

been flooded with discussions regarding the declining health of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who has not been seen in public since his televised departure from Beijing on September 8, after attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac).On Tuesday, the government reassured the public that the president is in excellent health and is expected to return to the country "in the next few days.

"Rene Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, stated, “The government of the republic firmly declares that these rumours are entirely unfounded and are a product of the imagination of those spreading them.”He added that President Biya had taken a brief private trip to Europe following his participation in the Focac summit.

“However, he remains, as usual, and wherever he may be, attentive to the development of national life,” the minister added.In another statement, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, director of the President’s Cabinet, emphasised that “the Head of State is still fulfilling his duties in Geneva and has not left the city since returning from Beijing.

”Cameroonians are accustomed to the President's "brief private stays in Europe," as frequently claimed by his Cabinet, although the actual length of these absences often contradicts the official announcements. However, the current absence, which has lasted nearly 40 days, has sparked heightened curiosity among the public.