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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

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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 

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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

Cameroon's army freed 18 hostages, including seven Swiss and five Italian tourists and six Cameroonian officials, hours after they were abducted by English-speaking separatists in the Anglophone region on April 2, Reuters reported April 4.

Cameroon: Army Frees 18 Hostages Abducted By Separatists 

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Crossing Borders

Thousands of people are reportedly fleeing villages in western Cameroon as a government military offensive cracks down on secessionists seeking independence for the country's English-speaking regions, Voice of America said Dec. 5.

Cameroon: Military Presence Reportedly Causing Exodus In English-Speaking Villages

Cameroon deployed armed police and soldiers across the African nation's English-speaking regions on Oct. 1 to block protests called by activists including groups demanding independence from the Francophone-dominated government, witnesses said, Reuters reported.

Cameroon: Troops Deployed To Block Protests In English-Speaking Regions

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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

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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. 

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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

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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

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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

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The Beau-Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland. The politically neutral space hotels provide can make them ideal spaces for leaders to convene for consultation in times of crisis.

Any place elite barons of authority convene can, at least temporarily, join the ranks of the world's important spaces. In countries where power is contested, a hotel's neutral space might be the only option for political or military rivals to engage in talks or to trade information, though this can also attract intelligence agency surveillance.

The Temporary Halls of Power

The Challenges of Unseating Gabon's Longtime Leader

Even if accusations of election fraud could be proved, the opposition has little power to wield.

The Challenge of Unseating Gabon's Entrenched Leader

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Since the fall of colonialism in Africa, foreign powers have been protecting their interests on the continent one leader at a time.

For countries without colonial interests in Africa, the wave of independence movements offered an opportunity to make inroads in nations outside their traditional spheres of influence. Providing physical security for a leader and his or her family is a particularly useful tool for a country that wants to assert its influence without committing extensive resources.

The Devious Art of Securing Influence in Africa

What Drives the Violence in the Central African Republic

Dissatisfaction with the newly elected president could be behind a surge of violence in the capital.

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Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Energy

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

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

Cameroon: Army Frees 18 Hostages Abducted By Separatists

Cameroon: Military Presence Reportedly Causing Exodus In English-Speaking Villages

Cameroon: Troops Deployed To Block Protests In English-Speaking Regions

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