The 91-year-old head of state has not appeared in public since the China-Africa summit in Beijing in early September, but the government has 'strictly prohibited' any media discussion of his state of health.

Authorities have gone so far as to ban the media from discussing the health of Biya. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji told regional governors that discussing the president's health was a matter of national security, and that "any debate in the media about the president's condition is therefore strictly prohibited".

The expected return of Cameroon’s president Paul Biya to Yaoundé has not occurred. Financial markets are reacting to growing concerns about his health, while several key government figures have been called to Geneva.

Cameroon's 91-year-old president, Paul Biya, is in good health, the government said on Tuesday in a statement, calling widespread reports saying otherwise "pure fantasy."

Cameroon’s government banned media debate about the health of President Paul Biya, whose absence from public view since last month has stoked speculation about his wellbeing.