Paul Biya has done it again. At 92 years old, he has secured yet another term in Cameroon’s elections. He has been in power for 43 years, and if he completes this new mandate, he will still be president at 99. He only appeared before the people once during the campaign. One appearance, one wave, one carefully staged performance—and then the state machinery did the rest.
Across the continent, Biya is not alone. Teodoro Obiang Nguema has ruled Equatorial Guinea since 1979. Yoweri Museveni has led Uganda since 1986. Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea has been at the helm since 1993, and Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville since 1979. These are not mere statistics: they are the faces of an African decline from the promise of democracy into gerontocracy.
