| Cameroon Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Forces armées camerounaises (FAC) | |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Service branches |
|
| Headquarters | Yaoundé |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Paul Biya |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief | Joseph Ngute |
| Minister of Defense | Joseph Beti Assomo |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | René Claude Meka |
| Personnel | |
| Active personnel | 38000 (plus 9000 gendarmerie and paramilitary)[1] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | FCFA 324 billion[1] |
| Percent of GDP | 1[1] |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  Brazil[citation needed] China France India Indonesia Israel European Union Russia Singapore Switzerland South Africa Japan Vietnam United Arab Emirates United States United KingdomHistorical:  Socialist Republic of Romania Soviet Union |
| Related articles | |
| History | Bamileke War Bakassi conflict CAR Civil War Boko Haram insurgency Anglophone Crisis |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Cameroon |
TheCameroon Armed Forces (French:Forces armées camerounaises (FAC)) are the military of theRepublic of Cameroon. It has three branches - the army, air force, and navy - and the gendarmerie.
It has generally remained loyal to the government and acted to ensure the stability of the regime, and not acted as an independent political force.[2][3] Traditional dependence on the French defense capability, although reduced, continues to be the case as French military advisers remain closely involved in preparing the Cameroonian forces for deployment to the contestedBakassi Peninsula.
TheAfrican Union maintains its continental logistics base in Douala.[1]
The army has 35,500 troops.[1]
Currently, the organization dates from 2001 with a distribution in several types of units: combat units, response units (unités d'intervention),unités de soutien et d'appui, and finally special reserve units as part of 3 joint military régions (interarmées) and the 10 military land sectors.[4]
Army units have been trained and equipped to fight in the swampy coastal terrain facing theBakassi peninsula. Although prepared for an armed conflict with Nigeria in recent years, the Cameroon Army does not have operational experience against other forces, therefore, it is not possible to assess its ability to respond to changing threats and opposing tactics.
Combat units of the army include:[5]
The territory is divided into 5 combined armsmilitary regions (RMIA):[9]
The air force has 1,000 troops, including one security battalion. Its combat capable fixed-wing aircraft are sixDassault/Dornier Alpha Jets, although they may not be serviceable.[11]
The navy has approximately 1,500 troops,[1] including a three marine battalions.[11] The headquarters is in Douala.[1]
Around May 1999,Philip Njaru wrote a newspaper article where he alleged ill-treatment of civilians conducted by the 21st Navy Battalion based in Ekondo-Titi. In late May Njaru was approached by the localcaptain who asked Njaru "to stop writing such articles and to disclose his sources". Refusing to do this, Njaru five days later found his house encircled by armed soldiers, and escaped toKumba.[12] Here, he was assaulted by police in June 2001, with no particular reason stated.[12] Njaru complained to the local authorities, but later learned that "his complaint had not been received".[12]
The navy has 14 patrol and coastal ships,[1] and five landing craft.[11]
The paramilitary Gendarmerie has 9,000 troops.[11]
The Combined Services Military Academy (EMIA) is the military college forofficer candidates and senior officers. It was founded in 1959[13] and opened in 1961.[14]
