Cameroon confirmed Monday that 16 of its citizens who had enlisted with the Russian military have been killed while fighting in Ukraine, marking the first official acknowledgment of such deaths.
The Ministry of External Relations said it received the list of names from the Russian embassy in Yaoundé through a diplomatic note dated March 5, 2026. The individuals were reported killed in the area of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” — a term used to describe its invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
The names of the deceased were broadcast on state radio, with authorities urging relatives to come forward and contact government offices for further information.
The announcement is the first formal confirmation by Cameroon that its nationals have died while serving alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war.
Previous investigations have pointed to a broader pattern of African recruitment. A February report by the monitoring group All Eyes on Wagner said hundreds of African fighters who joined Russian forces between 2023 and mid-2025 had been killed.
According to the report, Cameroon recorded the highest number of fatalities among African contingents, with 94 deaths out of 335 identified fighters.
In November 2025, Ukrainian officials said Russia had recruited more than 1,400 African nationals to support its war effort. Several African governments, including Kenya and South Africa, have since raised concerns over cases in which citizens were allegedly misled or coerced into joining Russian armed units.