Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya returned to Conakry on Friday, August 14, after 11 days abroad on an officially announced annual leave in Greece, a relatively swift return that has drawn fresh attention to President Paul Biya’s much longer absence from Cameroon.
Doumbouya arrived at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport accompanied by members of his family. He was welcomed by senior government officials and citizens who lined the streets, waving as his heavily armed convoy made its way through the capital.
The Guinean leader left Conakry on August 3 for his annual leave in Greece. The presidency described the trip as the first officially announced annual leave by a sitting Guinean head of state.
His return after just 11 days has provided an easy point of comparison with Cameroon, where President Paul Biya has been away from the country for nearly 70 days.
From “Brief Visit” to Nearly 70 Days
Biya left Cameroon on June 7 for what the presidency described at the time as a brief private visit to Switzerland.
Nearly 70 days later, he has yet to return, and the presidency has not announced an official date for his arrival.
The prolonged absence has generated growing public discussion in Cameroon, particularly over the president’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his extended stay abroad.
Cameroon’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, has sought to provide a legal explanation, saying the president is entitled to work leave that could last for up to 80 days.
That explanation, however, has not entirely settled questions over the way the absence was presented to the public.
The presidency initially described Biya’s trip as a short private visit rather than announcing an 80-day annual leave.
Two Holidays, Two Approaches
Doumbouya’s return has therefore offered an unusually visible contrast.
In Guinea, the president’s departure, destination, and purpose were officially announced, and his return came less than two weeks later with a public reception in Conakry.
In Cameroon, meanwhile, an absence initially presented as brief has stretched into its third month, without a publicly announced return date.
The comparison does not necessarily suggest that the two presidents face identical circumstances. But the differing approaches to communicating their absences have renewed debate in Cameroon over presidential transparency and the public’s right to know how long its head of state is expected to remain abroad.
For now, Doumbouya is back at work in Conakry. Cameroonians are still waiting for the return of theirs.
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