Paul Biya ready to hold official funeral for Ahidjo

The first article of Law No. 91/022 of 16 December 1991, in paragraph 1 states: the current law reinstates great figures in the history of Cameroon, who are now extinct, but worked for the birth of the nation, its independence and construction of the country to transfer its history and culture."

Paragraph 2 identifies the personalities involved in this regulatory provision, namely, Ahmadou Ahidjo, Ruben Um Nyobe, Felix Moumie and Ernest Ouandié. And according to Article 3, paragraph 1: "The transfer of the mortal remains to Cameroon of the people mentioned in Article 1 above, buried in foreign national territory, will be effected at the request of their families, subject to the will of the deceased and in accordance with the legislation of the country for burial.”

Paragraph 2 of this article wants to be a little more specific about the conditions of transfer of the mortal remains: "The costs of such transfer shall be borne by the State."

Lawyers who spoke to La Météo are unanimous on the fact that through this act, the President of the Republic is expressing willingness to offer particularly an official funeral for his predecessor.

"Paul Biya, who is a legal practitioner, and meant to stay in the legal framework, does not only want to observe the laws of the country where the body is, but especially to respect the spoken wishes of the deceased at the power of the family. Under the law, the body belongs to the family and it is they who have the power to execute the last will of the deceased," supports Me Ngoupa, lawyer at the Cameroon Bar.

Paulain Mbida, doctoral student in political science, meanwhile cites the example of Charles de Gaulle, who had planned his funeral on a paper by himself and handed it to three people, his son Philip, his son Alain de Boissieu and his then chief of cabinet, Georges Pompidou.

The ceremony, Wrote the general, should be extremely simple and the president, minister, assembly office or a corporate body should attend. In November 1970, the will was scrupulously respected by the State Protocol in France at the request of the family.

In observing this moment for Cameroon, negotiations are advanced for a reconciliation between the Ahidjo family and Cameroonian authorities. Besides, the eldest son of the first president, Badjika is an ambassador while the younger of the girls, Aminatou, is the responsibility of Yaoundé authorities for at least three years.

Fight of ego.

But one wonders what the motive is for the Presidency of the Republic to publish the law which was signed in 1991. According to indiscretions, the announced arrival of Francois Hollande to Cameroon, lobbyists will engage in raising the topic of the repatriation of the remains of President Ahidjo on the sidelines of the tête-à-tête between the two leaders.

Shadow activists share the same view as Germaine Ahidjo, widow of the first president of Cameroon. They argue that the remains of the predecessor of Paul Biya does not belong to the family, but a part of the state's heritage. Therefore, they think the initiative to repatriate the body of Ahmadou Ahidjo to Yaoundé is the decision of the authorities.

Mr. Mbida believes it is too much of a request for Paul Biya. "What is the Head of State going to do, abrogate the law of 91? Or get around it?" he questioned. The PhD student concluded: "Mobutu died in Morocco. Idi Amin died in Saudi Arabia. Jean Bedel Bokassa passed away in France ... They are characters who at that time played important roles in their country and there was not much controversy surrounding the repatriation of their bodies. But in Cameroon, it is in fact a state problem. And in the midst of this debate, no one talks much about the repatriation of the body of the first head of government," André Marie Mbida concludes.