Military of Cameroon

Cameroon Armed Forces Forces Armees Camerounaises (FAC)
Flag of Cameroon
Founded	1960
Service branches	Cameroon Army (L'Armee de Terre) Cameroon Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) Cameroon Navy Fire Fighter Corps Gendarmerie
Headquarters	Yaounde (?)

The Cameroonian Armed Forces generally has been an apolitical force where civilian control of the military predominates.^{[citation needed]} Traditional dependence on the French defense capability, although reduced, continues to be the case as French military advisers remain closely involved in preparing the Cameroonian forces for deployment to the contested Bakassi Peninsula. The armed forces number 38,000-40,000 personnel in ground, air, and naval forces.

The Cameroonian armed forces have bases spread all over Cameroon, including in Ngaoundéré. Air Force bases are located in Garoua, Yaoundé, Douala and Bamenda.^{[citation needed]}

"China has an ongoing military-military relationship with Cameroon, which includes training for Cameroonian military students each year in China, technical advisors to assist in repairing Cameroonian military vehicles and naval vessels, and Chinese military sales."^[1]

Army

With 20,000 men (including a rate of feminization of nearly 10%) the Army remains the most important component in terms of numbers.^[2] The Army is under the responsibility of the Chief of Staff, Général de division Nkoa Atenga, whose staff is in Yaounde.

Currently the organization dates from 2001 with a distribution in several types of units : combat units, response units (unités d’intervention), unités de soutien et d’appui et finally special reserve units as part of 3 joint military régions (interarmees) and the 10 military land sectors.^[3]

Army units have been trained and equipped to fight in the swampy coastal terrain facing the Bakassi peninsula. Although prepared for an armed conflict with Nigeria in recent years, the Cameroon Army does not have operational experience against other forces, therefore, it is not possible to assess its ability to respond to changing threats and opposing tactics.

Light equipment

• AKMS
• AK-47
  
• IMI Galil-AR
  
• IMI Uzi
• M-16
• FN FAL
• SIG SG 540
• TT-33
• SIG Sauer P 226/228
• Steyr AUG
• FAMAS
• Zastava M21
• Zastava M76
• M203
• M2 Browning Machine Gun
• FN MAG
• Heckler and Koch HK21
• Heckler & Koch MP5
• MAT-49
• M1919
• heckler & koch G3A
• MK 23MOD 0
• M82A1
• RPK-74
• M73 machine gun on M60A1/A3
• NSV machine gun

Missiles

• BGM-71 TOWand BGM TOW II/500+
• HOT/500+
• Milan/100+

Man Missile Portable

• SPG-9 73mm
• B-10 82mmm
• B-11mm 107 mm

• M2 mortar
• M30 mortar on M106

rocket propelled grenade

• RPG-7V
• SPG-9
• M72A3

AMPHIBIOUS PERSONNEL CARRIER

• PTS-M amphibious personnel carrier and cargo
• Lav V-100 commando 4x4 AIFV

ARMORED RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLE

• V150 commando 4x4 amored vehicle
• RG-32M amored vehicle

Artillery

• 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) (Type-59-1)- 112
• BM-21122mm MRLs - 50 systems
• ATMOS 2000 155mm SPHs- 30 systems
• M0-120 RT 120mm heavy mortar - 200
• M101 howitzer 105mm towed howitzer - 200
• ZPU-4
• 61-K
• D-30 howitzer - 50
• A-19 122mm towed fiel gun - 85
• M-30 122mm towed fiel gun - 300+
• B-11 recoilless rifle (Unknown if in service.)

Vehicles

• V100 commando 4x4- 81
• Panhard AML-90 90mm 4x4 ARVs - 150+
• Daimler Ferret MK-I\I 4x4 ARVs- 98
• VBL 4x4 APCs- 30
• M3 Half-Track M-3\5 - 100
• M8 Greyhound- 150+
• ACMAT VLRA
• M151 MUTT
• MAN Germany - 100
• Centauro - 500
• Ariete - 100
• Frecci a -50+

Cameroonian Air Force

The Cameroon Air Force has 135 aircraft including 50 helicopters. The air force has bases in Garoua, Koutaba, Yaounde, Douala and Bamenda. The Cameroonian Air Force was founded in 1960 the year of independence form France.There are around 600 troops in the air force.

Aircraft

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	Ordered[4]	In service	Notes
Atlas Impala		trainer light attack	Mk I Mk II	6 10	3 5	One Mk I crashed in Yaounde airbase killing both the pilot instructor and student
Aérospatiale SA 318 Alouette II	FRA	utility helicopter	SA 318C	5	3
Aérospatiale SA 319 Alouette III	FRA	utility helicopter	SA 319B	5	3
Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle	FRA	attack/utility helicopter	SA 342L	8	6	One crashed in Bakassi killing both the pilot and a medical personnel
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma	FRA	transport helicopter	SA 330	5	3
Bell 206L LongRanger	USA	utility helicopter	206L III	6	2?	One crashed in North Cameroon
Bell 412		utility helicopter	412	6	3	One crashed on November 22, 2010 while on a liaison flight between Limbe and Yaounde. Amongst the four casualties who members of the Cameroonian special force unit BIR (Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide) was the retired Israeli Lt-Col Abraham Avi Sirvan, Paul Biya's security adviser.
Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet	FRA	trainer/light attack	NGEA	27	11(?)	One was damaged during training exercises
de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou	CAN	tactical transport	DHC-4	2	0	Written off at Douala airbase
de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo	CAN	tactical transport	DHC-5D	6	0	All grounded at Douala airbase due to lack of maintenance
Dornier Do 28	GER	liaison	Do 28D	4	0
Dornier Do 128	GER	maritime patrol	Do 128-6MPA	1	0	Written off at Douala airbase
IAI Arava	ISR	utility transport	Arava 201		?
Boeing 727	USA	VIP transport	727-2R1/Adv	7	0	Still flightworthy, but was pulled out of service
Gulfstream III	USA	VIP transport	Gulfstream III	6	3
Aérospatiale SA 332 Super Puma	FRA	VIP transport	SA 332	5	3
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	USA	tactical transport	C-130H C-130H-30	3 2	5 2	TJX-AC was written off in France
Piper PA-23 Aztec	USA	utility	PA-23-250F	7
Humbert Tetras	France	training	Tetras	12	12

Air Force Weapons

• Euromissile HOT

Cameroonian Navy

Cameroonian navy sailors prepare to perform a visit, board, search and seizure drill on 21 November 2006 in Douala during a joint exercise with the US military.

The navy has two patrol boats. There are about 2100 troops in the navy including Naval Infantry.

Around May 1999, Philip Njaru wrote a newspaper article where he alleged ill-treatment of civilians conducted by the 11th Navy Battalion based in Ekondo-Titi. In late May Njaru was approached by the local captain who asked Njaru "to stop writing such articles and to disclose his sources". Refusing to do this, Njaru five days later found his house encircled by armed soldiers, and escaped to Kumba.^[5] Here, he was assaulted by police in June 2001, with no particular reason stated.^[5] Njaru complained to the local authorities, but later learned that "his complaint had not been received".^[5]

Cameroon's Marine Nationale République modernised and increased its capabilities during 2000 with the acquisition of a number of small Rodman patrol craft and the retirement of some small older craft. A number of small patrol boats have been acquired or ordered from France. Latest estimates indicate naval strength consists of two combat patrol vessels, three coastal patrol vessels and approximately 30 smaller inshore and river patrol craft allocated to both the navy and the local gendarmerie. These include two 135 tonne Yunnan-class landing craft, which are able to carry and launch smaller craft for troop insertions.Some effort has been made to assess equipment needs to bring L'Audacieux P103 and Bakassi P104 to an effective combat status. This has resulted in weapons capabilities being reduced in favour of an increase in serviceability and the service is now effectively without missile attack capabilities. Bakassi (a Type P 48S missile patrol craft) completed a major refit at Lorient, France in August 1999. This included removing the Exocet missile system and EW equipment, and fitting a funnel aft of the mainmast to replace the waterline exhausts. New radars were also installed. Bakassi is now armed only with 40 mm cannon. Although the Bizerte (Type PR 48 large patrol craft) class L'Audacieux is fitted for SS 12M missiles these are not embarked and its operational status is in some doubt, having not been reported at sea since 1995. The Quartier-Maître Alfred Moto patrol boat was listed as out of service in 1991 but was reactivated

Ships

• 5 Type 067 landing craft utility
• 7 Type P 48S Missile Patrol Craft
• 15Type P 062 Shanghai PC
  
• 25 MM 40 SSMs

NB: Cameroon air force of navy has 85 aircraft

References

1. ^ Wikileaks United States diplomatic cables leak 10YAOUNDE95
2. ^ http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/actions-france_830/defense-securite_9035/cooperation-securite-defense_9037/revue-freres-armes_12582/freres-armes-258-dossier-cameroun_18857/dossier_19041/armee-terre_64741.html
3. ^ Source: Revue Freres Armees, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4. ^ Cameroonian military aviation OrBat
5. ^ ^{a b c} "Njaru v Cameroon HRC Decision". hosted by Scribd. 3 April 2007. http://www.scribd.com/doc/40142/Njaru-v-Cameroon-HRC-Decision. Retrieved 2008-09-14.