According to the French website, demonstrations by opponents and incidents related to the presence of the Cameroonian head of state in Geneva are behind the precipitous departure of the presidential couple of the Confederation.
The President of the Republic, Paul Biya and his wife Chantal Biya returned to Cameroon on Friday, July 5, 2019, after a tumultuous stay of nearly two weeks in Switzerland.
In an article published on his website July 6, 2019, the Point.fr claims that President Paul Biya was pushed to the exit. Because, " they had arrived on the shores of Lake Geneva on the evening of Sunday, June 23, and wished to stay several weeks at the Intercontinental Hotel, where they usually reserve an entire floor ."
At the origin of this hasty departure, " political opponents have not stopped disrupting their stay. And members of President Biya's security service have been so violent towards a journalist on Swiss radio that the Geneva courts have sentenced six of them to suspended prison sentences.. "
"While a new event was scheduled for Saturday, July 6, Bern strongly encouraged this foreign host a little too cumbersome to shorten his stay. In diplomatic terms, the spokesman of the Federal Department (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) explains to the Tribune de Genève : "The FDFA is aware of this departure. He has not been absent from this debate during the last days, "reads.
According to the site, " the assault of a journalist of the French-speaking Swiss radio was undoubtedly the drop of water too much". The Swiss Foreign Ministry summoned the Cameroonian ambassador to Berne to remind him that " such incidents were unacceptable and the freedom of the press is protected and must be respected ".
In addition to these incidents, the dispersal by the police of a demonstration of the opponents of President Paul Biya, on the Place des Nations (a few steps from the Intercontinental Hotel) on June 29, 2019, using water and gas lances tear gas, which provoked " the indignation of the Swiss press " and " the support of a large part of the Swiss population to the opponents", pushed the Swiss authorities to encourage President Paul Biya to leave the city of Geneva.
For lepoint.fr, this hasty departure could cause damage to the luxury hotel. " The Intercontinental risks losing one of its best customers. Since coming to power, Paul Biya has been staying, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, no less than four and a half years in this palace. Leaving a bill of $ 182 million ! Very scalded, the Cameroonian president should not go back there before long.
CIN