Sixteen Cameroonian contract soldiers died in the special military operation zone, a term used by Russia to refer to Ukraine.
Moscow, in a diplomatic note dated March 5, informed the Cameroonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of its objective to contact the families of those involved, according to a statement released Monday. This is the first time Yaoundé has released a list of its citizens who died in the war in Ukraine. The existence of this recruitment of foreign fighters was revealed last February by the investigative group All Eyes on Wagner.
Cameroon appears to be the second most affected country, after Egypt, in terms of human losses in this conflict. According to available data, at least 96 Cameroonians have been killed, out of more than 335 fighters identified as contractors within the Russian army. These men are often former soldiers or civilians lured by promises of pay or jobs. Some are also believed to have been forcibly recruited, according to several sources.
Faced with this situation, several countries are expressing their concern and dissatisfaction regarding the recruitment of their citizens by the Russian army. This is notably the case in Kenya, which has succeeded in halting the enlistment of these nationals.
