Biya moved into the much contested role following the death of former Gabonese President Omar Bongo earlier this year, and has so far received the endorsements of two of the sub-regions five other heads of state.
Bozize’s visit is the third by a sub-regional leader to Yaounde in about three months, coming shortly after those by the Chadian president Idriss Debby and the new Gabonese leader Ali Bongo. It makes it two presidents short of a complete round of the sub-region.
Officially both men would discuss bilateral cooperation and sub-regional integration. Heightened insecurity on the border between Cameroon and its eastern neighbour is also expected to come up.
But for Biya, the significance goes beyond cooperation and good neighbourliness. The Cameroon head of state has been longing to play leader in the sub-region, and more than ever before, his hour has come.
Biya told reporters in France earlier this year that he would love to play an important role in the sub-region, if given the chance. But the statement looked like a modest vote of acceptance.
For many years, Biya disputed the status with Omar Bongo, who though a younger man, was the longest serving head of state in the region. He was in power almost twice Biya’s 27-year stay but Biya felt Cameroon was a bigger country.
Following Bongo’s death in June, Biya suddenly became almost the lone man interested in the role – a situation that makes the leadership position he is now trying to assume difficult to dispute.
Cameroon is also the sub-region’s biggest economy and main entry point for at least two landlocked neighbours; and though this appeared less helpful to Biya in the past, it could make Biya’s drift to the driving seat much easier.
The position comes with no real powers. The sub-region is politically run through a turn-by-turn chairmanship of CEMAC. Yet, it could put Biya in a very influential position when it comes to both international and sub-regional diplomacy.
Omar Bongo often got top preference treatment from France, the region’s chief international partner. On at least two back to back occasions, different French presidents skipped Cameroon on an African tour but went to Gabon. That often left Biya’s ego deeply hurt, according to people close to the president.
By making the sub-regional heads of state come to Yaounde one by one, Biya is trying to send out a strong signal that he was now the man in charge. It would be no surprise that the Congolese leader Sassou Nguessou is next in line.
It is disputable how much Biya would bring to the sub-region once fastened in his new role. For many years, the president visibly showed very little concern for sub-regional bodies, sparingly attending sub-regional summits and other meetings.
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