President Paul Biya of Cameroon made significant changes on March 13, affecting the top echelons of military leadership through a series of appointments. The move is aimed at reorganising the Ministry of Defence.
The changes affect different sectors within the military, such as the leadership of military tribunals nationwide, commanders of battalion units, and officers stationed at Cameroonian embassies and consulates abroad.
There have been significant changes in leadership within the military tribunals of Bamenda, Baffousam, Garoua, Maroua, Douala, and Bertoua. In addition, there have been changes in leadership within various roles in Cameroon’s diplomatic services, including chiefs of operations, heads of planning, logistics, and information transmission offices.
President Biya has made changes to important positions within the Army, including the General Control, General Inspection, and Human Resources departments. Notable changes were implemented in the higher echelons of the National Gendarmerie, signifying a thorough transformation within the military framework of the nation.
This is the third time President Biya has intervened in the Ministry of Defence since the August 2023 coup in Gabon. After the military uprising led to the overthrow of Ali Bongo, President Biya wasted no time in reorganising the Ministry of Defence. Later, on December 3, 2023, during the visit of the Gabonese coup leader to Cameroon, President Biya made notable changes within the Ministry of Defence.
As a result, there have been three instances in less than seven months where military officers have been strategically reassigned, as evidenced by the recent appointments on March 13.
