We believe that Cameroon President Paul Biya made significant changes to the country’s ministry of defense out of concern of a coup. This is occurring in the wake of the revolt in Gabon that removed President Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for more than four decades.
President Biya reshuffled positions in the defense, air force, navy, and police departments. He made the announcement on social media platform X. Biya, now 90 years old, seized control in a coup d’état in 1982 and has been president ever since.
Also, shortly after the revolt in Gabon on August 30th, Rwanda’s defense force (RDF) announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that President Paul Kagame had approved the retirement of 83 senior officers. According to the RDF, Kagame also sanctioned the promotion and appointment of a number of officers to replace outgoing officials.
The chief of defence staff of Rwanda, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Rwanda, and the defence attaché of Cameroon met to discuss methods to “enhance defense cooperation between their respective countries.”
The constitution of Rwanda was amended in 2015 to enable Kagame to remain president until 2034. Since 2000, the 65-year-old Kagame has been in power. The decisions of Kagame and Biya to reorganize their militaries came a few hours after the military assumed power in Gabon, ending the 53-year rule of President Ali Bongo’s family.
