The Cameroonian government has officially confirmed that 16 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed while fighting in Russia's four-year war against Ukraine. In a statement broadcast on state media late on Monday, the country's Foreign Ministry called on the families of the deceased to contact officials in the capital Yaounde.
This marks the first time Cameroon has publicly discussed the involvement of its nationals in the Russia-Ukraine war. Moscow has drawn foreigners from numerous nations into its invasion forces over the course of the conflict. A Cameroonian diplomatic note, dated Monday and seen by Reuters, referred to the deceased as "military contractors of Cameroonian nationality" operating in a special military operation zone—the term Russia uses to describe Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Neither the statement nor the diplomatic note specified how the 16 men ended up fighting for Russia, nor did they provide details on the location, timing, and circumstances of their deaths. In an internal memo issued in March 2025 and seen by Reuters, Cameroon's defence minister expressed concern that soldiers were leaving the country to join the war in Ukraine and instructed commanding officers to closely monitor their units.
Cameroon has stated it does not officially deploy troops abroad outside of international or regional mandates and has warned citizens against taking part in foreign conflicts. Ukraine said in February that more than 1,700 Africans were fighting for Russia, though analysts note the true figure is likely higher.
Furthermore, several African countries have reported that some of their citizens have been tricked into fighting for Russia through offers of lucrative jobs or skills training. An intelligence report presented to Kenya's parliament earlier this year said that 1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia after being misled with false promises of jobs before being sent to the front lines. Ukraine's intelligence agency said this month that two Nigerians were killed late last year while fighting for Russia.
Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine. Young men from South Asia have also joined the Russian army in its war against Ukraine after being promised lucrative salaries and benefits. According to India's Foreign Ministry, at least 202 Indian nationals have been recruited into the Russian army, with at least 26 killed. Russia agreed in August 2024 to release all Indian nationals from its army and confirmed that recruitment of Indians has ceased, following demands by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service reports that 11,000–15,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia, with roughly 6,000 killed or wounded, earlier in the conflict.
Source: www.aljazeera.com