Trouble looms as Cameroon soldiers desert to fight in Ukraine

The desertion of soldiers to fight in Ukraine weakens the operational capacity of several African militaries and the stability of the affected countries. Cameroon’s government recently highlighted the trend which, although not new, has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine.

A 7 March statement by Cameroon’s Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo sheds light on the ‘illicit involvement’ of the country’s troops in the Ukraine war. A minority of deserters are ‘foreign…