Cameroon's Biya Reshuffles Military During 2-Month Absence

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYAugust 11, 2026 at 10:02 AM UTC

TLDR

Cameroon President Paul Biya reshuffled military command with changes in 4 out of 5 joint military regions, promoting head of Presidential Guard.
Brigadier General Mezui Zo'o Elie Romance appointed commander of Rapid Intervention Brigade for security operations.
Major General Ebaka Hippolyte named deputy chief of defence staff amidst questions about President Biya's extended stay abroad.

Cameroon President Paul Biya reshuffled the military command while abroad, replacing commanders in 4 of the country’s 5 joint military regions and promoting the head of the Presidential Guard. The changes were made through 3 decrees signed on Aug. 3 and announced on state radio. Biya, 93, left Cameroon on June 7 for what his office called a private stay in Europe and had not returned when the decrees were announced.

Colonel Beko’o Abongo Raymond Jean Charles, commander of the Presidential Guard, was promoted to brigadier general and kept in the post. Brigadier General Mezui Zo’o Elie Romance was named commander of the Rapid Intervention Brigade, a unit used in counter-insurgency and other security operations. Several other colonels were promoted to brigadier general.

Major General Ebaka Hippolyte was appointed deputy chief of defence staff. Changes were also made to motorised infantry brigades, military schools and regional commands. Brigadier General Melingui Nouma Donatien took charge of the First Joint Military Region, while Rear Admiral Ade Nkwenti Hilary was named commander of the Third and Brigadier General Nouma Joseph took over the Fourth.

The reshuffle comes as Biya’s absence has raised questions about the operation of the government. His Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement called a meeting of senior officials in July as criticism of his time abroad increased. Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and has spent periods outside the country during his presidency, but the current trip is among his longest.

Government spokesman René Emmanuel Sadi said Biya is alive and will return to Cameroon, rejecting calls to declare the presidency vacant. He said state institutions continue to function and that Biya had not resigned. The government has not given a date for his return.

Key Takeaways

The military changes matter because they show Biya continuing to exercise one of the presidency’s core powers while questions remain over his absence and succession. The decrees put new officers in command of the Presidential Guard, the Rapid Intervention Brigade and most regional commands, placing a new group of generals in posts that control troops across the country. There is no evidence in the decrees that the appointments were made to address succession or secure loyalty, but their timing puts more focus on the armed forces as Cameroon considers what comes after Biya. Parliament restored the office of vice president in April, placing that official first in the line of succession, but Biya has yet to fill the post. He has also not formed the new government he said would follow his 2025 re-election. That leaves several decisions tied to the president himself. The reshuffle shows that orders can still be issued while he is abroad, but it does not answer when he will return or how power would transfer if he could no longer serve. For investors and institutions, the issue is less the individual promotions than whether Cameroon has a clear process for maintaining policy and command during a leadership change.

Cameroon