Cameroon gets Russia's support against Boko Haram

Russian Ambassador to Cameroon, Nikolay Ratsiborinsky has promised that his country will help Cameroon handle the rising Boko Haram and rebels of the Central African Republic’s terrorists threats to Cameroonians.

The ambassador was speaking in Yaounde on June 12 at a reception organised to mark the celebration of the Russian Day.


Without explaining how far the Russian government will go, the ambassador reiterated the growing interest governments of Cameroon and Russia share vis a vis each other.


He recalled the recent visit of the Russian Foreign Minister to Cameroon, which came on the hills of a similar visit of a Cameroonian delegation to Moscow. He said the Russian delegation which was in Cameroon earlier this year, was treated with the same hospitality the Russian government accorded the Cameroonian delegation led to Russia by the country’s Minister of External Relations, Pierre Mokoko Mbonjo.


The Russian diplomat said that the world today is troubled and cruel and that people are losing respect for human lives. Talking about the Ukraine-Russian conflict, he announced with regret that before coming for the reception, he received a call from his country, telling him that Ukraine has just used a weapon of mass destruction which the UN has always been and is still against.


The reception which was attended by several government officials and diplomats from both African and Western countries, including Equatorial Guinea, Germany and France also served as a platform for personalities with common interest to have a one on one private chat.

Nikolay had a brief conversation with the guest of honour, the Secretary General at the Presidency of Cameroon, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh.


The reception took place about a week after the governments of Cameroon and Russia reviewed their military, technical, scientific and business cooperation, after 50 years of bilateral relations.


Delegations from both countries reviewed their cooperation ties during the 10th bilateral consultation's meeting which was held at the Ministry of External Relations in Yaounde from June 5 to 6.


Cameroon’s External Relations minister Pierre Mokoko Mbonjo stated that the 5o-year relations were officialised on February 20, 1994 with the opening of embassies in both countries. He and the Russian vice foreign affairs minister told a press conference on June 5 in Yaounde that both countries have agreed to intensify cooperation.


Mokoko also said that they will sign a series of agreements, including some on economic exchanges, and free movement between the two countries, of individuals with diplomatic passports.