Cameroon Military Forces 🇨🇲

Cameroon's location between West and Central Africa is both an economic advantage and a security liability, as the nation's stability is intertwined with that of the surrounding region. It faces significant security challenges on multiple fronts. The most severe threats are concentrated along its porous border with northeastern Nigeria, where it confronts Boko Haram and an Islamic State-affiliated splinter group. Since 2014, Cameroon has been part of a multinational task force, including Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, to combat these insurgencies. Internally, the government is engaged in a protracted conflict with Anglophone separatists in its North West and South West regions.

Military and Security Forces

The Cameroonian Armed Forces (FAC) are primarily structured to ensure regime stability and address internal and cross-border threats. The military has remained loyal to the government and is not an independent political actor. The armed forces are comprised of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, supplemented by a significant Gendarmerie which serves as a paramilitary police force.

The Army is the largest component of the armed forces and is organized into three military regions and ten land sectors. Units are trained for combat in the diverse terrains of the country, from coastal swamps to the arid north. A key element of Cameroon's security apparatus is the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR), a well-trained and equipped unit that operates with greater autonomy than the regular army and reports directly to the president.

The Air Force operates a small number of combat-capable aircraft from several bases, including Garoua, Yaoundé, Douala, and Bamenda. The Navy is headquartered in Douala and is the smallest of the three main branches.

Strategic Trends

Cameroon's military focus is on counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and internal security. The military has gained operational experience fighting Boko Haram and Anglophone separatists, but this has also led to accusations of human rights abuses, potentially complicating international partnerships. The country has traditionally relied on French defense cooperation, and this relationship continues with French military advisers involved in training Cameroonian forces.

Cameroon also receives security assistance from the United States, primarily for counter-terrorism efforts against Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa. This includes a train-and-assist program for the BIR and intelligence and surveillance support. The nation's defense procurement involves a diverse range of foreign suppliers. The government's continued forceful approach to the Anglophone crisis risks long-term instability and presents a complex challenge for its international partners, whose security assistance can be implicated in both internal and external conflicts.