By Ndi Eugene Ndi
Two bills have been adopted in parliament, giving President Paul Biya the power to ratify military, defence and security agreements with Russia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as part of a diversification of the country’s defence partnership, which has been underway for more than two decades now.
The two bills were adopted at the National Assembly during a plenary on Wednesday November 29 chaired by House Speaker, Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.
Signed on April 12, 2022 in Moscow, the military cooperation agreement with Russia for a renewable five-year term, primarily focuses on exchanging insights on international security issues, conducting joint training and education for forces, collaborating on military engineering, health, and topography, sharing experiences in peacekeeping operations, and addressing terrorism and maritime piracy.
It has since been a source of international controversy as it was signed in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where Western countries are against Russia and her “allies.”
“The signing of such an agreement appeared to be an affront to Cameroon’s Western partners supporting Ukraine,” the Nkafu Policy Institute, a Yaounde- based Think Tank said then.
Strengthening security cooperation with UK
Same day, Members of the National Assembly also adopted the bill to authorize the President of the Republic to ratify the Framework Cooperation Agreement on Defence and Security between the Government of the Republic of Cameroon and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed in London on January 10, 2023.
“The bill will permit our country’s Defence Forces to have the opportunity to be drilled jointly, carry out military exercises, pursue education, health of military engineering, to share information, combat terrorism, exchange visits and logistics support between Cameroon and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” a report by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly that scrutinized the bill in commission said.
The framework agreement was concluded for a renewable period of five years with parties agreeing to honour the principles of equality, mutual respect, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference.
It should be noted that Cameroonian army units are already receiving training and assistance in counterterrorism from British Armed Forces and the ratification of the agreement is expected to increase the level of the support and training.
During the celebration of King Charles III’s birthday at the British Residence in Yaounde, the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E Barry Lowen said “the UK and Cameroon are working together to counter threats to regional stability”.
The Minister of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo defended the bills in parliament in the company of the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of the External Relations in Charge of the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu.
Several members of government took to the rostrum with questions following the presentation of the reports from the Foreign Affairs Committee to seek for some clarifications from the Government representative who gave the said clarifications before the House Chamber adopted the said bills.
The bills were later adopted by the Senate, the Upper House of Parliament.
