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
Biya in 1986
First Lady of Cameroon
In office 6 November 1982 – 29 July 1992
President	Paul Biya
Preceded by	Germaine Ahidjo
Succeeded by	Chantal Biya (1994)
Personal details
Born	Jeanne-Irène Atyam Ndoumin (1935-10-12)12 October 1935 Monengombo, Endom commune, Nyong-et-Mfoumou, French Cameroon
Died	29 July 1992(1992-07-29) (aged 56) Yaoundé, Cameroon
Spouse	Paul Biya ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	Franck Biya

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]

Biography

Biya was born Jeanne-Irène Atyam Ndoumin on 12 October 1935 in Endom in the Ava-Ava family.^[4][1] She was educated by her uncle Thomas Ndoumin, who was a cocoa farmer and exporter and the younger brother of Jean-Louis Ava-Ava who served as a deputy for decades.^[4] She had a younger brother, Robert Nkili, who served as Minister of Labour and Social Security alongside Minister of Transport afer gaining influence with Biya due to Jeanne's marriage.^[5]

She married Paul Biya on 2 September 1961, in Antony, Paris.^[6] She studied at the Nantes School of Midwives in France and, after her return to Cameroon, worked as a qualified midwife in the Pavillon Baudelocque of the Yaoundé Central Hospital.^[4] She was socially committed, particularly to children.^[4]

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.^[7][8][3] It is also speculated that the two nuns of Djoum, who had close relations with Jeanne-Irène Biya, were also assassinated.^[9]

She is buried in Mvomeka'a, the birthplace of her husband.^[10]

Personal life

It is speculated that Jeanne-Irène Biya adopted the illegitimate son that Paul Biya had with her sister^[11] or niece when he was four years old.^[8] He was named Franck Emmanuel Olivier Biya, and is considered to be the successor to his authoritarian father.