Biya-Macron press conference, a case of scripted journalism

By Hans Ngala

A press conference hosted by President Paul Biya and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, ended on Tuesday evening with Biya stating that he will remain in power up to 2025 but does not know if he will seek another mandate.

A Radio France International (RFI) journalist asked Biya whether he plans to run for president in 2025 or whether he wants a new generation to represent the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), Biya’s party.

The long-winded speeches by both Biya and Macron were followed by a mere three questions from among the many journalists in the room.

It was a clear case of scripted journalism as all the Cameroonian reporters avoided directing any questions to the 89-year old President Biya.

The first Cameroonian reporter and the very first to speak after the addresses of the two leaders; was a CRTV reporter who asked Macron whether France was not displaying double standards when it sends weapons to support Ukraine in the war with Russia but fails to support African countries with the same weapons.

The press conference started with a speech by Emmanuel Macron who acknowledged the war in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon and went on to talk about the Russia-Ukraine war.

In President Biya’s speech, he acknowledged “instability” in the sub-region, but made no mention of the deadly war and instability in the Northwest and Southwest of his own country.

It was therefore very telling when the first question from a CRTV journalist also avoided asking any question related to the conflict.

The last question for the day came from a reporter with Mutations, a Cameroonian French language daily newspaper. As had been the case with the CRTV reporter before him, his question was addressed to Macron and had nothing to do with the unrest in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon or the skyrocketing prices of commodities and fuel.

Instead, he sought to know from the French leader why he thought it was okay to disclose the contents of his discussions with President Paul Biya to the public after Biya had been in Paris some years ago.

In his second question, the reporter asked Macron whether he was willing to acknowledge the role of his country in atrocities that were committed against Cameroonians in the fight for independence from France.

The press conference lasted more than 30 minutes, but only three questions were taken from journalists who were all Francophone Cameroonians with the exception of the RFI reporter.

France is Cameroon’s largest economic partner and given the hike in prices of food and fuel, there were expectations that questions would be directed to Macron about the role of French companies which are involved in refining Cameroonian crude oil but this was not the case.

There were also expectations that questions would be asked to Macron about whether he is looking to mediate in the conflict in Anglophone regions of Cameroon or at least willing to pressure Biya to solve the problem or go into genuine dialogue with separatist leaders.

While all the Cameroonian journalists directed their questions to Macron, the French journalist addressed all her questions to Biya.

None of the journalists questioned Biya’s health but the RFI reporter appeared to make subtle reference to his visually frail frame when she had to ask twice whether Biya had heard her question. It took a third intervention from Macron himself who was standing next to Biya before the octogenarian could hear what the French journalist had asked.

Macron is one of the youngest presidents in the world, while Biya is the oldest president on earth at this time and one of the longest-serving non-royal leaders in the world. He clocked 40 years in power this year and expectations were rife that Macron, which has great economic and political influence in Cameroon, may discuss Biya’s succession with him. While that may happen diplomatically behind closed doors, it was never discussed during the press conference.

Cameroonian journalists did not do justice to the more than 27 million Cameroonians who were watching a rare moment when President Biya was giving a press conference on home soil, a tradition he usually reserves for his trips overseas. It is not clear why Biya is uncomfortable giving press conferences in Cameroon.