rancour in the ranks

Cameroon: Soldiers fighting Boko Haram are reaching their tipping point

By Franck Foute

Premium badge Reserved for subscribers

Posted on August 5, 2021 05:25

Firefox_Screenshot_2021-08-04T12-10-35.827Z © Soldiers of the 21st Motorised Infantry Brigade patrol the streets of Buea, in Cameroon’s southwest region, on 26 April 2018. ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP
Soldiers of the 21st Motorised Infantry Brigade patrol the streets of Buea, in Cameroon’s southwest region, on 26 April 2018. ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP

Anger is brewing in the ranks of the Cameroon army, with soldiers tired of endless deployment. Regularly accused of rights abuses, Cameroon forces suffered a series of setbacks in the Anglophone regions and the North. It is worrying the military high command and politicians alike.

The minister of defence’s visit to the military hospital in Maroua could have gone a lot smoother.

Joseph Beti Assomo, who was photographed by a handful of journalists that had been selected for this event, made sure to meet with each of the almost 50 bedridden soldiers – all wounded during Boko Haram’s latest attacks – of this establishment. The soldiers had dressed up for the occasion in their new green-red-yellow (the colours of the Cameroonian flag) tracksuits.

READ MORE Nigeria: Chad blowback will hurt fight against Boko Haram

Assomo wanted to use this tour, which appeared to be an operation aimed at remobilising the troops, to send a strong message after 13 soldiers were killed during two attacks launched three days apart in the localities of Zigué and Sagme (in the district of Fotokol), in the department of Logone-et-Chari.

It has been nearly three years since Cameroon experienced such heavy losses in this conflict. As such, it has forced the

There's more to this story

Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.

Subscribe Now

cancel anytime

More Politics

Sima Gabon Gabon’s transitional Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima in Libreville, 10 September 2023 ©AFP

recycling

Premium badgeIntroducing Gabon’s Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima Heading Gabon’s new government, ex-opposition member Raymond Ndong Sima has taken up his post as prime minister of the transition.
Zimbabwe’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa and his wife Auxillia in 2017. (Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko)

Nepo babies

Premium badgeZimbabwe: Ignoring the party, Mnangagwa selects his friends and family cabinet Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has stocked the cabinet with friends and relatives, an official change from his first term.
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu waves at a crowd, during his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu waves at a crowd, during his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, May 29, 2023. ©REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

Indigenous pressure

Premium badgeNigeria: Court ruling reignites clamour for Abuja’s state-status After Nigeria’s presidential election court ruled that the capital should be treated like a 37th state, Abuja’s original inhabitants are calling for a...
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani © FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani, Ghana April 11, 2019. Picture taken April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ange Aboa/File Photo/File Photo – RC2353A8341Z

Not enough

Premium badgeGhana: Cocoa farmers still disgruntled despite hiked price The announcement on 9 September that cocoa price went up from GH¢800 to GH¢1,308 ($113) per bag evoked mixed responses from farmers.