Brief-long stay abroad: Rene Sadi tells RFI Biya’s return imminent.

He made the declaration in an interview he granted RFI, which was aired on Monday, August 3, 2026. Rene Sadi declared that Biya, who departed the country since June 7, 2026, will return to Yaounde soon.

Biya, he declared, will return “very soon” and as such, the opposition cannot raise questions of a vacancy due to “extended absence”.

He also asserted that despite the absence of President Biya, the country’s institutions continue to function normally and smoothly; demonstrating how stable the country is. 

Rene Sadi further indicated that the Constitution explicitly stipulates the conditions under which a vacancy can be declared at the helm of State.

“The Constitutional Council has not ruled to declare a vacancy...President Paul Biya is alive and has not resigned,” Minister Rene Sadi said, insisting that: “President Paul Biya will soon return to Cameroon…therefore, we cannot speak at this stage of a vacancy at the helm of State”.

“He was not hospitalised”

Quizzed on reports of the Head of State undergoing knee surgery recently, the minister denied any surgery or hospitalisation. 

He affirmed that the President enjoys the right to have a “few simple consultations” during his continued private stay in Switzerland.

Delayed new government 

Another issue raised during the media outing was the delayed formation of a new government, which Biya had promised in an address to the nation on December 31, 2025, that it was going to put in place “in the coming days.

Eight months after the President’s announcement, Rene Sadi explained that Biya has the sole responsibility to decide when to form a new government. He stressed that the delay does not affect or paralyse government’s ability to act or work.

“The President made an announcement. He did not decide that from now on, ministers should limit themselves to managing day-to-day affairs…so, he made an announcement but all the ministers are still in office,” he elucidated.

He shared the view that “…instead of fixating on this new government, everyone should focus on carrying out their respective duties within their various ministries…as long as they are there, they are ministers”.

‘Taking his time to appoint a Vice President’

On the appointment of a Vice President of the Republic, a post reintroduced into the Constitution in April this year, Rene Sadi reiterated that the Head of State has the right to take his time.

“We can agree that it is perfectly normal for him to take his time in entrusting such a high office to one of his fellow citizens,” he told RFI further. 

Going by Minister Rene Sadi, whether the choice of the Vice President is a Francophone or Anglophone, male or female, young or old, one key criteria which should count is experience. 

“In all sincerity, I think there is a term we’ve been using lately, which isn’t just a slogan, but a term that is truly rich in meaning. It is experience,” he said. 

He added that: “Experience is something that is earned over time. I think that while it is possible to find a young person with a great deal of experience, and it can also happen that you find a young person who is both competent and experienced, experience is irreplaceable, and it’s not something you learn in school”. 

Rene Sadi went further to add that: “I think the President, who felt it necessary to appoint a Vice President, is in a very good position to justify such a decision, such a plan. And as was mentioned earlier, he has given himself time to consider the matter, and he himself will decide when to appoint a Vice President”. 

Rene Sadi wasted no time in rubbishing claims that he is nursing ambition for the Vice Presidency position.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3868 of Tuesday August 04, 2026