Cameroon: Paul Biya marks 41 years in power

Cameroonian President Paul Biya is marking on Monday  (Nov. 06) his 41 year-rule over the central African nation.

Last year, thousands gathered in the capital, Yaoundé, for the ocasion but the president did not attend. 

Paul Biya, a former Prime Minister, took the reins of Cameroon on November 6, 1982 following the resignation of the country's first president Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Many voices within the ruling Democratic Rally of the Cameroonian People (RDPC) have already called for him to vie in the 2025 presidential election for an 8th, 7-year term.

Critics of his regime, however, wore black on Sunday. Some cited corruption, bad governance, and an ongoing succession battle.

Cameroon's president who celebrated his 90th anniversary last February is Africa's second-longest serving leader.

Under him, Cameroon has faced challenges in recent years that range from a secessionist movement in the country's English-speaking regions to the threat in the north posed by Islamic extremists aligned with the Nigeria-based Boko Haram group.

Paul Biya last won a presidential election in 2018.