Paul Biya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Biya
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Biya in 2022
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| 2nd President of Cameroon | |
| Assumed office 6 November 1982 |
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| Prime Minister | Bello Bouba Maigari Luc Ayang Sadou Hayatou Simon Achidi Achu Peter Mafany Musonge Ephraïm Inoni Philémon Yang Joseph Ngute |
| Preceded by | Ahmadou Ahidjo |
| 5th Prime Minister of Cameroon | |
| In office 30 June 1975 – 6 November 1982 |
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| President | Ahmadou Ahidjo |
| Preceded by | Office re-established; Simon Pierre Tchoungui (1972) |
| Succeeded by | Bello Bouba Maigari |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo
13 February 1933 Mvomeka'a, Ntem, French Cameroon (now Cameroon) |
| Political party | RDPC |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3, including Franck and Brenda |
| Education | National School of Administration, Paris Institute of Political Studies, Paris |
| Signature |  |
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a politician from Cameroon. He has been the second president of Cameroon since 1982. Before that, he served as the fifth prime minister from 1975 to 1982. As of 2025, he is one of the longest-serving presidents in Africa. He is also the oldest head of state in the world.
Biya grew up in southern Cameroon. He quickly rose through the government ranks in the 1960s. He worked as Secretary-General of the Presidency and then as prime minister. He became president after Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned in 1982. Biya then worked to strengthen his power.
In the 1980s, Biya brought in some political changes. He later allowed many political parties to exist in the early 1990s. He won the presidential election in 1992. He was re-elected many times in 1997, 2004, 2011, and 2018. Some people and other countries have raised concerns about how these elections were run.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Biya is from the Beti ethnic group. He was born in the village of Mvomeka'a. This area is now called the South Region of Cameroon.
He went to school in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He also studied in Paris, France. He graduated in 1961 with a degree in public law.
Presidency: 1982 to Today
Becoming a Leader
After Cameroon became independent in the 1960s, Biya started working for the government. He became well-known under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. He held several important roles. These included director of the Cabinet of the minister of national education. He also became secretary-general of the ministry of national education.
In 1967, he was named director of the civil cabinet of the president. In 1968, he became secretary-general of the presidency. He was made a minister in 1968 and a minister of state in 1970.
Cameroon became a single state in 1972. Biya then became Prime Minister of Cameroon on 30 June 1975. In 1979, a new law said the prime minister would become president if the president left office.
President Ahidjo surprisingly resigned on 4 November 1982. Paul Biya then became president of Cameroon on 6 November.
Biya is a Catholic from southern Cameroon. Ahidjo was a Muslim from the north. Many people were surprised that Ahidjo chose Biya as his successor. Biya's father wanted him to become a priest. However, Biya was expelled from Catholic school at age 16.
After Biya became president, Ahidjo remained the head of the ruling party. This was the Cameroon National Union (CNU). Biya joined the CNU's Central Committee. He was also elected as the party's vice-president.
In December 1982, Biya was put in charge of party matters when Ahidjo was away. For a few months, Biya showed loyalty to Ahidjo. Ahidjo also supported Biya. But in 1983, a big disagreement grew between them. Ahidjo moved to France. From there, he said Biya was misusing his power.
Ahidjo resigned as CNU leader. Biya then took over the party. This happened at a special meeting of the CNU on 14 September 1983.
In November 1983, Biya announced that the next presidential election would be in January 1984. It was originally planned for 1985. He was the only candidate in this election. He won almost all the votes.
In February 1984, Ahidjo was accused of being involved in a plot against the government in 1983. He was tried without being present. He was sentenced to death. However, Biya changed his sentence to life in prison.
Biya survived a military coup attempt on 6 April 1984. This happened after he decided to break up the Republican Guard. The government said 71 people died. Others estimated about 1,000 deaths. People from northern Cameroon were the main ones involved in this attempt. Many saw it as an effort to bring back their group's power.
Biya chose to focus on national unity. He did not blame northern Muslims specifically. Many believed Ahidjo planned the coup attempt. It is thought that Biya knew about the plot beforehand. He broke up the Republican Guard in response. This might have forced the plotters to act sooner than they wanted. This could have been a key reason why the coup failed.
Under Biya's leadership, Cameroon adopted an economic plan. This plan involved selling state-owned businesses. It also opened up the economy to more competition. Government workers' salaries were reduced.
In 1985, the CNU party changed its name. It became the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. Biya was elected as its president. He was also re-elected as President of Cameroon on 24 April 1988.
Biya took steps to make the government more open. In 1990, he decided to make opposition parties legal. According to official results, Biya won the first multi-party presidential election. This was held on 11 October 1992. He received about 40% of the votes. There was no second round of voting. The opposition parties could not agree on one candidate. The second-place candidate was John Fru Ndi. He was from the Social Democratic Front (SDF). He officially received about 36% of the votes. The opposition strongly disagreed with these results. They claimed there was fraud.
In the October 1997 presidential election, the main opposition parties did not participate. Biya was re-elected with 92.6 percent of the votes. He was sworn in on 3 November.
He has been re-elected as the National President of his party, the RDPC. He was re-elected in 2001 and again in 2006.
Biya won another seven-year term in the 11 October 2004 presidential election. He officially received 70.92 percent of the votes. The opposition again claimed there was widespread fraud. Biya was sworn in on 3 November.
After being re-elected in 2004, the 1996 Constitution limited presidents to two terms. This meant Biya could not run again in 2011. However, the constitution was changed to allow him to run again. This change happened on 10 April 2008. The RDPC party had control of the National Assembly. So, the change was approved easily.
On 12 June 2006, he signed the Greentree Agreement. This was with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. It officially ended the border dispute over the Bakassi peninsula.
In February 2008, protests happened. People called for lower prices and for Paul Biya to leave office. These protests were met with strong government action.
In the October 2011 presidential election, Biya won a sixth term. He received 77.9% of the votes. John Fru Ndi was his closest opponent. Biya's opponents claimed there was widespread fraud. French and US governments also noted problems with the process. In his victory speech, Biya promised to help the economy grow. He also promised to create jobs through public works projects. He was sworn in for another term on 3 November 2011.
Biya won the 2018 presidential election with 71.3% of the votes. This election had some violence and low voter participation.
International Relations
France
Biya's government is supported by France. France is one of the former colonial powers in Cameroon. It provides weapons and trains Cameroon's military. France is also the biggest foreign investor in Cameroon.
China
The People's Republic of China started relations with Cameroon on 26 March 1971. In the 2000s, leaders from both countries visited each other. President Biya visited China in 2006. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Cameroon in 2007.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited Cameroon on 12 January 2014.
In June 2020, Cameroon was one of 53 countries. These countries supported the Hong Kong national security law at the United Nations.
Israel
Cameroon voted against some UN resolutions that were against Israel. It was the only country to vote with Israel against a UN resolution about "Assistance to Palestine Refugees."
Cameroon stopped relations with Israel from 1973 to 1986. It was one of the first countries to restart relations. Cameroon's government uses armored vehicles from Israel. Cameroon's Rapid Reaction Force, called BIR, is trained by Israel.
Students from Cameroon were given 11-month visas. They traveled to Israel to learn about farming. Poultry farmers also received training in Israel.
Israelis also trained staff at six hospitals in Cameroon. They learned how to fight the Ebola virus.
Nigeria
Biya, who became president after Ahidjo, took Nigeria to the International Court of Justice. This happened on 29 March 1994. Cameroon claimed the Bakassi peninsula. This claim was based on an agreement from 1913 and a declaration from 1975.
Nigeria argued that the peninsula belonged to its chiefs. They said these chiefs gave the land to Nigeria when it became independent. Nigeria pointed to collecting taxes there. They also noted that many residents used Nigerian passports.
On 10 October 2002, the court decided in favor of Cameroon. It told Nigeria to leave the area right away.
Nigeria first protested the decision. It also caused some trouble in Bakassi. But President Olusegun Obasanjo's government mostly followed the ruling. In June 2006, the countries signed the Greentree Agreement. This agreement required Nigeria to remove its troops from Bakassi by 4 August 2008. It also required Cameroon to protect the rights of Nigerian citizens living in Bakassi. The land was peacefully transferred to Cameroon.
Biya and Obasanjo asked the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for help. They set up the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission. This group worked to carry out the court's decision smoothly. The commission's jobs included marking the border. It also helped with cooperation across the border. It helped troops leave Bakassi. And it protected the rights of local people.
By 2015, most of the border had been surveyed and agreed upon. This included the border at Bakassi. In 2007, the commission finished the sea border. But in 2015, Cameroon said a small part of the land border was still not finalized.
United States
Economic relations between Cameroon and the U.S. were very strong in 1982. This was when Ahidjo was replaced by Biya. Between 1982 and 1984, the U.S. became Cameroon's top export market. This was mainly because the U.S. bought Cameroonian oil. Biya worked even harder than Ahidjo to have good relations with many countries. He called his foreign policy "diplomacy of development" and "open door" diplomacy.
Around 2013, relations between the two countries focused more on fighting terrorism. They worked together against Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa. They also worked on other security efforts in the Gulf of Guinea. From 2015 to 2020, about 300 U.S. military members were in northern Cameroon. They helped with intelligence and observation in the region.
Personal Life
Biya became a citizen of France when he studied there. But he later gave up his French citizenship. He did this when he returned to Cameroon to work in government.
In 1961, he married Jeanne-Irène Biya. She did not have any children. However, she adopted Franck Biya. Franck was born in 1971 from a relationship between Biya and Jeanne-Irène's sister or niece. Franck Biya is sometimes seen as a possible future leader.
Jeanne-Irène Biya passed away on 29 July 1992. This happened after a short illness. Paul Biya was at a conference abroad at the time.
Paul Biya married Chantal Vigouroux on 23 April 1994. She is 36 years younger than him. They have two more children together: Paul Jr and Brenda Biya.
Health Concerns
As of 2024, Paul Biya is the longest-serving non-royal head of state. He has been in power since 1975. Because of his age, people often wonder about his health. They also wonder who might become president after him.
In October 2024, the government denied rumors of his death. These rumors started because he had not been seen in public since September. Officials said he was in Geneva and was in good health. On 9 October, the Minister of Territorial Administration banned media from talking about the president's health. On 21 October, state television showed Biya arriving back in Cameroon. He had returned from Switzerland.
See also
In Spanish: Paul Biya para niños
Images for kids
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Paul Biya's signature
