France helps Cameroon establish new special forces unit

The Cameroonian Army’s new special forces unit is now being set up and is likely to be operational before the end of 2016. The establishment of the new unit was authorised by a presidential decree in June 2005, but it is only since last year that efforts have begun to create it formally.

Christine Robichon, the French ambassador to Cameroon, revealed that progress was being made on the new unit when she attended a 21 January ceremony during which France donated 11 Peugeot P4 all-terrain tactical vehicles, assorted weapons, and body armour to the Cameroonian Army.

In her speech, Robichon said the equipment was part of France’s effort to support the establishment of the new special unit and added that an initial group of 32 Cameroonian troops had gone through a full-cycle of unconventional warfare training with a team of instructors from the French military force based in Gabon (Eléments Français au Gabon) in 2015.