Yaounde, Oct. 12, (Xinhua/GNA) – Traditional Council of the Bamoun people, an ethnic group in Cameroon, over the weekend named Nabil Mfoforifoum Mbombo Njoya as the supreme leader of the Bamoun.
The new king emerged on Sunday as hundreds of people gathered at the palace premises in Foumban, in the West region of country, awaiting the announcement.
The 28-year-old Njoya, the 20th king of the ethic group, became the sultan of the Bamoun to succeed his father Sultan Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, who died at the age of 83 in September.
An official funeral of the late sultan was held at the palace premises on Saturday, with Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute in attendance.
The new king has no formal government powers but upholds Bamoun tradition and controls millions of hectares of land through a trust.
Bamoun ethnic enclave has now become an international tourist destination, with the 600-year-old Nguon Festival that celebrates the rich and vibrant culture of the people annually.
GNA