Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon, has returned to the Central African country after spending more than two months in Europe while governing the country remotely.

93-year-old Mr Biya, the world’s oldest president, arrived at the international airport in Yaoundé aboard a flight from Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday.

Hordes of his supporters welcomed him back to the country after his 73-day absence, which saw the country left without its physical leader.

On June 7, when Mr Biya left the country, his office described his travel as “a brief private stay in Europe.”

However, the brief stay in Europe turned out to be Mr Biya’s longest stay abroad in his over 40-year reign, a development that raises questions about his health and capacity to lead the country.

Though Cameroon’s constitution does not prohibit its president from staying away from the country for months, as done by Mr Biya, his prolonged absence left the country without a vice president or a physical leader.