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92-year-old Cameroonian President Paul Biya has “overhauled the military’s top ranks” in what analysts believe is an effort to secure the armed forces’ support for his bid for an eighth term, following public criticism.
These personnel changes, announced late on Tuesday through presidential decrees, impact nearly all branches of the armed forces. They include “the appointment of new chiefs of staff for the infantry, air force and navy” and the promotion of “eight brigadier generals to the rank of major general.”
One of the promoted generals coordinates the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), a special forces unit important to Biya’s security. The decrees also named a new special presidential military adviser.
The decrees were published two days after Biya, who has been in power since 1982, announced he would run for his eighth term in Cameroon’s presidential election scheduled for October 12. This seven-year term could keep him in office until he is nearly 100. The announcement led to an “unprecedented public outcry in the press and on social media” in Cameroon, where Biya’s age and long absences have raised questions about his fitness to rule. The government, however, states Biya is in good health and dismisses any suggestions to the contrary.
Anthony Antem, a peace and security analyst, said the decrees reflect “a strategy by President Biya and his collaborators to consolidate power by building a fortress of loyal army generals around him” that can suppress any protest to his continued rule. Celestin Delanga, a researcher, added that the decrees “come in a unique political and security context.” Delanga explained that Biya aims to ensure stability during and after the election, and for that, “additional trusted personnel are needed.”
The Central African nation also faces serious security challenges, including a conflict with Anglophone separatists and threats from Nigeria-based Islamist fighters in the north. The government provided no explanation for the overhaul. The last major military shake-up in Cameroon occurred last year, shortly after Biya returned in October from an extended stay abroad, which reignited health speculation
