The world's oldest serving head of state has been out of the country for 45 days, now his ruling party has called a rare meeting

Political uncertainty is mounting in Cameroon after the country's ruling party convened a rare meeting of senior leaders while President Paul Biya remained out of the country for 45 consecutive days, intensifying scrutiny over the future leadership of one of Central Africa's most important economies.

Biya, 93, left Cameroon on June 7 for what the presidency described as "a brief private stay in Europe" and has yet to return, according to Reuters.

The government has not disclosed when he is expected back, making this his longest known stay abroad since taking office in 1982.

The unusual development prompted the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), the country's ruling party, to summon a rare meeting of its senior leadership on Wednesday.

In a statement, Jean Nkuete, secretary-general of the CPDM's central committee, described the gathering only as "an important working session" without revealing its agenda.