Cameroon

Military & Security

Politics

Cameroon's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji announced that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action for allegedly inciting violent protests following the Oct. 12 presidential vote, which saw President Paul Biya win an eighth consecutive term, BBC reported on Oct. 29.

Cameroon: Opposition Leader To Face Legal Action Over Ongoing Election Unrest

Cameroon's Constitutional Council has confirmed President Paul Biya's victory in the Oct. 12 presidential election, extending his 43-year rule over the country, Jeune Afrique reported Oct. 27.

Cameroon: 92-Year-Old President Wins Reelection Amid Growing Opposition Unrest

According to an exclusive report, Cameroon's incumbent President Paul Biya reportedly offered the position of prime minister to his main political rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former long-term ally, Jeune Afrique reported on Oct. 21.

Cameroon: Longtime President Reportedly Offers Opposition Leader Premiership

Cameroon's National Vote Counting Commission released provisional results for the country's Oct. 12 presidential election that show President Paul Biya receiving 53.66% of votes, against 35.66% of votes for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Jeune Afrique reported on Oct. 21.

Cameroon: Provisional Results Show President Biya Reelected for Eighth Term

Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary preemptively declared a "landslide victory" in Cameroon's Oct. 12 presidential election, challenging long-time incumbent Paul Biya to acknowledge defeat and "respect the truth of the ballot box," Jeune Afrique reported on Oct. 14.

Cameroon: Opposition Leader Preemptively Declares Himself Winner of Election

Cameroon held a presidential election on Oct. 12 that was broadly peaceful in much of the country but saw clashes erupt between supporters of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary and security forces in the northern city of Garoua, Radio France Internationale reported on Oct. 13. 

Cameroon: Ballot-Counting for Presidential Election Begins as Clashes Erupt in the North

Cameroon's constitutional council rejected opposition leader Maurice Kamto's appeal to be reinstated as a candidate in the upcoming Oct. 12 presidential election, AP reported on Aug. 5. 

Cameroon: Constitutional Council Bars Opposition Leader From Running in Presidential Poll

Maurice Kamto, the main opposition leader in Cameroon and runner-up in the 2018 presidential election, has been excluded from the list of candidates for the Oct. 12 presidential vote, BBC reported on July 28.

Cameroon: Main Opposition Leader Barred From Running in October Presidential Election

Assessments

Cote d'Ivoire

Tanzania

Argentina

United States

China

Japan

South Korea

Netherlands

Supporters of Argentine President Javier Milei's Liberty Advances (LLA) party wave flags during a campaign rally in Rosario, Argentina, on Oct. 23, 2025.

Economics

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina Holds Midterm Elections, Trump Travels to Asia

Israel

Palestinian Territories

France

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Snapshots

Cameroon President Paul Biya (L) and his wife Chantal Biya react during a parade marking the 51st celebration of Unity Day in Yaounde on May 20, 2023.

Cracks in the ruling coalition risk fueling unrest and political instability as 92-year-old President Biya seeks an eighth term in the October election. 

Amid Growing Defections, Cameroon's Aging President Doubles Down With a Reelection Bid

Columns

On Geopolitics

Benin

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Djibouti

Gabon

Guinea

Madagascar

Mali

Mauritania

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Senegal

Togo

Algeria

Morocco

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

Cameroonian President Paul Biya (left), and his wife Chantal Biya (left) watch a parade marking the 51st celebration of Unity Day in Yaounde on May 20, 2023. 

The end of the aging president's 42-year reign will leave a power vacuum that could engulf the country in crisis as various factions within the ruling elite, opposition parties and militants scramble to secure their interests. 

Cameroon Braces for Volatility Amid Concerns About President Biya's Health

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Equatorial Guinea

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

Uganda

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. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

Guinea Bissau

Tunisia

Indonesia

French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 17, 2022, in Brussels.

The Weekly Rundown: Jokowi Visits Beijing, Macron Visits Sub-Saharan Africa

On Security

Mozambique

Somalia

Malaysia

Philippines

United Kingdom

Austria

Iraq

Jordan

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

Egypt

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

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

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

Cameroon: Opposition Leader To Face Legal Action Over Ongoing Election Unrest

Cameroon: 92-Year-Old President Wins Reelection Amid Growing Opposition Unrest

Cameroon: Longtime President Reportedly Offers Opposition Leader Premiership

Cameroon: Provisional Results Show President Biya Reelected for Eighth Term

Cameroon: Opposition Leader Preemptively Declares Himself Winner of Election

Cameroon: Ballot-Counting for Presidential Election Begins as Clashes Erupt in the North

Cameroon: Constitutional Council Bars Opposition Leader From Running in Presidential Poll

Cameroon: Main Opposition Leader Barred From Running in October Presidential Election

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support