Cameroon bans any talk about 91-year-old president's health

YAOUNDE, cameroon — 

Cameroon has outlawed immoderate treatment astir the wellness of 91-year-old President Paul Biya, a missive shared by the interior ministry said, aft Biya's prolonged lack fueled wide speculation helium was unwell.

Earlier this week, the authorities enactment retired statements saying the president was connected a backstage sojourn to Geneva and successful bully health, dismissing reports helium had fallen sick arsenic "pure fantasy."

In the missive to determination governors dated October 9, Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji said discussing the president's wellness was a substance of nationalist security.

From present on, "any statement successful the media astir the president's information is truthful strictly prohibited. Offenders volition look the afloat unit of the law," Nji said.

He ordered the governors to acceptable up units to show broadcasts connected backstage media channels, arsenic good arsenic societal networks.

Cocoa and oil-producing Cameroon, which has had conscionable 2 presidents since independency from France and Britain successful the aboriginal 1960s, is apt to look a messy succession situation if Biya became excessively sick to stay successful bureau oregon died.

Cameroon’s media regulator, the National Communication Council, could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

The determination faced disapproval arsenic an enactment of authorities censorship.

"The president is elected by Cameroonians and it's conscionable mean that they interest astir his whereabouts," said Hycenth Chia, a Yaounde-based writer and speech amusement big connected privately owned tv Canal2 International.

"We spot wide discussions connected the wellness of Joe Biden and different satellite leaders, but present it is simply a taboo," helium told Reuters.

Press state advocacy radical Committee to Protect Journalists said it was gravely concerned.

"Trying to fell down nationalist information connected specified a large contented of nationalist value is outrageous," said Angela Quintal, caput of the CPJ's Africa Program.

Biya has not been seen successful nationalist since attending a China-Africa forum successful Beijing successful aboriginal September. His nonaccomplishment to look arsenic scheduled astatine a acme successful France past play further stoked nationalist treatment astir his health.