Politics
Bangladesh president resigns health, Cameroon’s absent leader
BANGLADESH’S President Mohammed Shahabuddin has resigned after citing a serious neurological condition that causes him to lose consciousness.
Shahabuddin, 76, announced his resignation on Friday, saying recent medical examinations diagnosed him with Autonomic Neuropathy, a condition that occasionally causes him to faint.
“Recent medical examinations have diagnosed me with a condition known as Autonomic Neuropathy. Due to this condition, I occasionally experience momentary loss of consciousness,” Shahabuddin said in a statement released by his press secretary.
Shahabuddin, a former ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had served as Bangladesh’s largely ceremonial president since April 2023, as his tenure spanned one of the country’s most turbulent political periods, including the 2024 student-led uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India and brought an end to her administration.
His resignation further weakens the remnants of Hasina’s political establishment ahead of her planned return to Bangladesh in five months. Her Awami League party remains banned, while many of its senior leaders and supporters have either been jailed or gone into hiding following the deadly protests that toppled her government.
Under Bangladesh’s constitution, the Speaker of the Parliament called the Jatiya Sangsad will perform presidential duties until lawmakers elect a new head of state.
Although the president serves as commander-in-chief of Bangladesh’s armed forces, executive authority rests with the prime minister and cabinet in the South Asian nation of about 173 million people.
Meanwhile, in Central Africa, uncertainty is mounting over the future leadership of Cameroon as President Paul Biya remains outside the country for 45 consecutive days, his longest known absence since assuming office more than four decades ago.
Biya, 93, departed Cameroon on June 7 for what the Presidency described as a brief private stay in Europe. However, authorities have not announced when he will return, prompting increasing scrutiny from opposition parties and political observers.
The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) has added to speculation after convening a rare meeting of its senior leadership this week. While party officials described it only as an important working session, they offered no details about its agenda.
Opposition leaders have intensified calls for transparency, urging the government to disclose Biya’s condition and clarify how state affairs are being managed during his prolonged absence, while some have even argued that the Constitutional Court should declare the presidency vacant.
Government officials have dismissed reports questioning Biya’s health, insisting the veteran leader remains fully capable of governing from abroad.
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since November 1982, is the world’s oldest serving head of state and Africa’s second-longest-serving president after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo.
His extended stay abroad has reignited longstanding questions about succession, particularly as he has never publicly designated an heir, although Cameroon recently approved legislation restoring the office of vice president, a position intended to provide constitutional continuity but the post has yet to be filled.
The political uncertainty comes despite Biya having recently secured another presidential term, a mandate that could see him remain in office until he is nearly 100 years old.
As one of Central Africa’s largest economies and a major exporter of cocoa, crude oil, natural gas and timber, Cameroon is closely watched by investors, with opposition warning that prolonged uncertainty over political leadership could affect governance, policy continuity and investor confidence.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
