Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya will seek an eighth term in October’s elections.
The leader’s long stints outside the country and infrequent public appearances have prompted speculation about his health, but Sunday’s announcement on X confirmed his intention to stand again.
The Central African nation, a major cocoa and oil producer, has in recent years grappled with a separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and incursions from jihadist group Boko Haram in the north. Several opposition figures have said they will contest the election, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto.
Biya came to power nearly 43 years ago and scrapped term limits in 2008. His lengthy rule in a country with a median age of 19 is often cited in debates about the disparity between the continent’s youthful population and its elderly leaders.
