French Gendarmerie General’s Visit Sparks Sovereignty Debate in Cameroon

The visit to Cameroon of the Director General of the French Gendarmerie just a few months to the 2025 presidential election has sparked concern about neo-colonialism and lack of total sovereignty from former colonial master, France.

General Hubert Bonneau stepped foot in Cameroon on Monday, June 7, for a two-day mission that saw him visit Gendarmerie training colleges in Yaounde.

He also held audiences with the head of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie, Galax Etoga, and the Minister of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo.

But while the government is projecting the visit as a plain diplomatic exchange between Cameroon and France, opposition leader, Serge Espoir Matomba, sees it as a French neo-colonial tactic.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the former Presidential candidate and leader of the PURS party (translated as United People for Social Renovation) strongly denounced General Bonneau’s visit as French interference in Cameroon’s sovereignty.

“As our nation prepares for a crucial electoral deadline, we believe that such visits and collaborations that are part of an outdated logic of security dependence are no longer acceptable,” the 46-year-old wrote.

Mr Matomba, who contested against 92-year-old President Paul Biya in the 2018 election, has again sworn to run for October’s polls.

But he is worried about Cameroon’s sovereignty from France since gaining independence in 1960.

“For over 60 years, these interactions have persisted without truly strengthening our national sovereignty. Faithful to our line of thought and our commitment to the absolute independence of Cameroonian institutions, we denounce this foreign presence and demand that the competent authorities ensure that security decisions are taken exclusively by Cameroonians, for Cameroonians,” he wrote.

Serge Espoir Matomba’s views echoed a growing sentiment across former French colonies in West and Central Africa, where French influence has dwindled over the past few years.

Governments in former French colonies of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Chad have terminated decades of military cooperation with France and expelled French troops from their countries.

Anti-French sentiments have grown stronger in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, whose military leaders have rallied their people against imperialism and neo-colonialism.

However, this wind of change doesn’t seem to have yet reached Cameroon’s leadership, which has rather inched closer to France under President Biya’s four-decade rule.

The country, which is the biggest economy in the central African bloc, CEMAC, has tightened diplomatic and security cooperation with France, and is seen as one of France’s most strategic allies in Africa alongside Ivory Coast.

This was seen in French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Yaounde in July 2022, during which he was accorded a hero’s welcome.

During the visit, Macron announced French support of €20 million to fight food insecurity in Cameroon and held a discussion with French and Cameroonian civil society.

Biya has visited France countless times during his 42 years in power. The last of such visits was in August 2024 when he attended the 80th anniversary of the Allied Landings in Provence, France.