Biya appoints new ambassadors to the U.S, France

President Biya, yesterday, signed a decree replacing Cameroon’s ambassadors to France and the United States of America.

The presidential degree named Samuel Mvondo Ayolo as Cameroon’s new ambassador to France in replacement of Le jeune Mbella Mbella, current external relations minister who was given the portfolio on October 2, 2015.

Mbella Mbella has been Cameroon’s ambassador to France for more than 20 years before his ministerial appointment close to seven months ago.

The new ambassador to France, Mvondo Ayolo, was before his appointment yesterday, Cameroon’s ambassador to sub-regional neighbour, Gabon with residence in Libreville.

In the case of the United States, Joseph Bienvenu Charles Foe-Atangana, was dismissed and replaced by ambassador and minister plenipotentiary, Etoundi Essomba Henri, former Cameroon ambassador to Israel, where he served for close to two decades.

While in Tel Aviv, he was the dean of the diplomatic corps there.

Foe-Atangana’s sack doesn’t come as a surprise to many; his last couple of years in Washington D.C as ambassador were embroiled in controversy related to managing the rented-embassy edifice.

Most of his collaborators were at odds with him for what they described as his dictatorial attitude.

Atangana Foe’s collaborators are said to have become fed up with his poor management skills and his incapacity to complete the renovation of the embassy building in DC.

At some point, the diplomatic staff even rented an apartment from which they were reportedly thrown out when accrued bills could not be paid.

Atangana was also said to have portrayed the same attitude when he worked as Cameroon’s consul-general at Calabar-Nigeria, from where he was appointed to the United States.

He is also said to have been suffering from poor health lately.

It would be recalled that he was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United States by Biya, March 11, 2008.