Cameroon

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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

Cameroon's long-serving Tourism Minister and former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, president of the National Union for Democracy and Progress, entered the country's 2025 presidential race without resigning from his Cabinet position, becoming the second senior northern ally of President Paul Biya to do so in recent days, Reuters reported on June 30.

Cameroon: Second Ally of Long-Term President Announces Presidential Bid

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The U.S. State Department issued a memo giving 36 countries 60 days to meet new department requirements or be added to a travel ban implemented on June 9, The Washington Post reported on June 14.

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

Cameroonian President Paul Biya is mulling a Cabinet reshuffle following his appointments of new members to the central committee of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement party, or RDPC, in late March, Jeune Afrique reported on April 28.

Cameroon: President Paul Biya Likely To Run for an Eighth Term

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Russia's Africa Corps began deploying transmission equipment and radars at the Faya-Largeau base in northern Chad in late January, while observers have noted several individuals thought to be Africa Corps emissaries in the capital, N'Djamena, Jeune Afrique reported on Feb. 11.

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby threatened to withdraw from the Multinational Joint Task Force, or MNJTF, due to what he described as a failure to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad region effectively, Reuters reported on Nov. 4.

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

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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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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. 

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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

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

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

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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

Soldiers take snapshots of vehicles allegedly belonging to ISWAP in Baga, Nigeria, on Aug. 2, 2019. The army, faced with deteriorating morale, is pulling back to 'supercamps' and leaving civilians and aid organizations vulnerable.

The Fight Against the Islamic State

Security

The Jihadist Wars

The army, faced with deteriorating morale, is pulling back to 'supercamps' and leaving civilians and aid organizations vulnerable.

In Nigeria, the Islamic State West African Province Gains Steam

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: 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

Cameroon: Second Ally of Long-Term President Announces Presidential Bid

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

Cameroon: President Paul Biya Likely To Run for an Eighth Term

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

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