Africa's oldest president absent at party to celebrate his 40th year in office

At 89 years, Paul Biya of Cameroon is Africa's oldest president and second longest serving Head of State.

Over the weekend, parties have been held across the Central African country to commemorate the 40 years he has been in power.

Reports indicate that the celebrations were held with life-sized portraits of Biya but he was not present at any

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Thousands of people danced in front of the city hall in the capital Yaoundé. It was draped in an enormous portrait of Mr Biya emblazoned with the slogan "An exceptional president," a BBC Africa LIVE report noted.

The main opposition leader Maurice Kamto said Cameroon under Mr Biya was a highly corrupt country where people's basic rights were trampled upon in a ruthless and arrogant manner.

The administration has become even more repressive since 2017 when separatists launched a violent uprising in English-speaking parts of the country, the BBC report added.

SARA