Health of Paul Biya, 91, declared matter of national security and any debate prohibited after denial that he has died

Cameroonian authorities have banned discussions about the health of the president, Paul Biya, after the latest round of speculation about his prolonged failure to appear in public.

In a 9 October letter to regional governors, the interior minister, Paul Atanga Nji, said discussing the 91-year-old president’s health was a matter of national security and “any debate in the media about the president’s condition is therefore strictly prohibited”.