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Jeanne-Irène Biya
Jeanne-Irène Biya (12 October 1935[1] – 29 July 1992) was the former First Lady of Cameroon and the first wife of Paul Biya, who has served as the President of Cameroon since 1982.[2] Jeanne-Irène Biya died in office in Yaoundé at age 56. She was succeeded by Chantal Biya as first lady of Cameroon in 1994.[3] BiographyBorn Jeanne-Irène Atyam Ndoumin, she married Paul Biya on 2 September 1961, in Antony, Paris.[4] She studied at the midwifery school in Nantes and, after her return to Cameroon, worked as a qualified midwife in the Pavillon Baudelocque of the Yaoundé Central Hospital. She was socially committed, particularly to children. Jeanne-Irène Biya died in Yaoundé at the age of 58, when her husband was on a trip in Dakar. Rumors arose in Cameroon that Jeanne-Irène Biya's death had occurred in an unnatural manner, and that he had been out of the country at the time for alibi reasons.[5][6][3] It is also speculated that the two nuns of Djoum, who had close relations with Jeanne-Irène Biya, were also assassinated.[7] She is buried in Mvomeka'a, the birthplace of her husband. Personal lifeIt is speculated that Jeanne-Irène Biya adopted the illegitimate son that Paul Biya had with her sister[8] or niece when he was four years old.[6] He was named Franck Emmanuel Olivier Biya, and is considered to be the successor to his authoritarian father. References
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