Cameroon

Military & Security

Politics

Cameroonian President Paul Biya is mulling a Cabinet reshuffle following his appointments of new members to the central committee of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement party, or RDPC, in late March, Jeune Afrique reported on April 28.

Cameroon: President Paul Biya Likely To Run for an Eighth Term

Chad

Cote d'Ivoire

Togo

Libya

Russia

Russia's Africa Corps began deploying transmission equipment and radars at the Faya-Largeau base in northern Chad in late January, while observers have noted several individuals thought to be Africa Corps emissaries in the capital, N'Djamena, Jeune Afrique reported on Feb. 11.

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

Benin

Niger

Nigeria

Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby threatened to withdraw from the Multinational Joint Task Force, or MNJTF, due to what he described as a failure to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad region effectively, Reuters reported on Nov. 4.

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

France

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Cameroon President Paul Biya as part of his first tour of Africa since being reelected in April, Reuters reported July 26.

France, Cameroon: Macron Seeks to Bolster Africa's Agricultural Output, Reaffirm French Interests

Security

The Jihadist Wars

The governor of Cameroon’s Far North region said the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP, also known as Boko Haram) has been establishing commercial and political ties with “top officials” in the region, and that local residents were supplying the group with money and provisions to support their efforts, Voice of America reported Dec. 19.

Cameroon: Boko Haram Deepening Ties in Far North Region, Says Governor 

United States

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The United States is cutting $17 million in military aid to Cameroon over its military's role in human rights infractions in the country's Anglophone region, AP reported Feb. 8.

Cameroon: U.S. Cuts Military Aid Over Human Rights Violations

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Escalating violence over the reelection of Cameroonian President Paul Biya killed at least 10 people on Oct. 24 when government forces clashed with separatist rebels, Reuters reported Oct. 25.

Cameroon: Election Results Bring Increased Violence

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has won a seventh term in office, securing 71.3 percent of the vote in an election in which only half the voting-age population cast ballots, the BBC reported Oct. 22.

Cameroon: President Wins 7th Term

Columns

On Geopolitics

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

Comoros

Djibouti

Gabon

Guinea

Madagascar

Mali

Mauritania

Republic of the Congo

Senegal

Algeria

Morocco

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

Economics

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

Snapshots

Cameroonian President Paul Biya (left), and his wife Chantal Biya (left) watch a parade marking the 51st celebration of Unity Day in Yaounde on May 20, 2023. 

The end of the aging president's 42-year reign will leave a power vacuum that could engulf the country in crisis as various factions within the ruling elite, opposition parties and militants scramble to secure their interests. 

Cameroon Braces for Volatility Amid Concerns About President Biya's Health

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Equatorial Guinea

People holding Gabon national flags celebrate in Libreville on August 30, 2023, after a group of military officers announced they were ''putting an end'' to President Ali Bongo Ondimba's regime. 

Rampant insecurity could precipitate the collapse of more Sahelian governments, while succession crises and patronage politics could do the same for Central Africa's dynastic leaders.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 1: The Sahel and Central Africa

Uganda

During the final day of the African tour that also included visits to Cameroon and Benin, French President Emmanuel Macron (left) waves to a crowd through the roof of a car in Bissau with Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The French president and Russian foreign minister’s separate trips to Central African countries highlight Paris and Moscow's growing interest in the region, with both leaders pledging increased security and investments.

Making Sense of France and Russia’s High-Level Visits to Africa

Guinea Bissau

Tunisia

China

Indonesia

French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 17, 2022, in Brussels.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Jokowi Visits Beijing, Macron Visits Sub-Saharan Africa

On Security

Mozambique

Somalia

Malaysia

Philippines

United Kingdom

Austria

Iraq

Jordan

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

Egypt

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie speaks as a picture of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is seen during a press briefing Oct. 30, 2019, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

The Islamic State has lost its territory and leader, and the jihadist struggle has entered its post-"caliphate" phase.

The Global Jihadist Movement in 2020: The Threat Lens Forecast

Stratfor Threat Lens

Soldiers take snapshots of vehicles allegedly belonging to ISWAP in Baga, Nigeria, on Aug. 2, 2019. The army, faced with deteriorating morale, is pulling back to 'supercamps' and leaving civilians and aid organizations vulnerable.

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The army, faced with deteriorating morale, is pulling back to 'supercamps' and leaving civilians and aid organizations vulnerable.

In Nigeria, the Islamic State West African Province Gains Steam

The oil-rich African country of Equatorial Guinea said it foiled a coup attempt in late December.

The oil-rich African nation's longtime president is reportedly ailing, and his jet-setting son is the heir apparent. The country's history of coup attempts means the journey ahead could get bumpy.

Equatorial Guinea Weighs a Dynasty in the Making

French President Francois Hollande meets Cameroonian President Paul Biya at the Elysee Palace in January 2013. France's colonial legacy in Africa shapes many of today's conflicts. 

The conflict between Cameroon's Francophone government and its English-speaking regions can be traced back to the country's founding.

Cameroon's Fighting Words Are in English

Cameroon is a Central African country which faces the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south.     The country has been profoundly affected by its unique colonial experience, passing from German control into Anglo-French dominion after a League of Nations mandate following World War I. The decades of British rule in the southwest and French rule everywhere else in the country helped pave the way for the country's challenges with unity. While Anglophone Cameroonians vote to join Francophone Cameroon in the early 1960s, Francophone authorities have struggled to allow for decentralization in the years since. Rather, Francophone rule in Cameroon has typically brought increased centralization and authoritarianism from longtime President Paul Biya. This has sparked cycles of violence and frustration in Anglophone areas, as well as heavy-handed countermeasures from Cameroon's government.     Cameroon's position on the Atlantic Ocean has helped solidify its place as Central Africa's regional transport hub. Oil in landlocked Chad, for example, travels through pipelines in Cameroon on its way to the coast. Consequently, Cameroon's leadership is incentivized to focus on its attractive coastal position to drive investment and economic growth. However, this position does not fully mitigate the challenges of Central Africa, which is filled with weak states struggling to deal with militant groups creating instability. Wilayat al Sudan al Gharbi, better known by its former name, Boko Haram, has frequently attacked civilians and security forces near Cameroon's border with Nigeria. Mitigating threats from these and other militants will remain a key challenge for Cameroon in the years ahead. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Cameroon: President Paul Biya Likely To Run for an Eighth Term

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

France, Cameroon: Macron Seeks to Bolster Africa's Agricultural Output, Reaffirm French Interests

Cameroon: Boko Haram Deepening Ties in Far North Region, Says Governor

Cameroon: U.S. Cuts Military Aid Over Human Rights Violations

Cameroon: Election Results Bring Increased Violence

Cameroon: President Wins 7th Term

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support