Securing common borders: Cameroon, CAR sign defence partnership accord.

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, signed on behalf of the Cameroon while CAR Minister of National Defence and Army Reconstruction, Claude Rameaux Bireau, signed for his country. 

Both officials signed the accord on the instructions of their Heads of State, President Paul Biya of Cameroon and Prof Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed on the Cameroonian side by the Minister of External Relations, H.E Mbella Mbella; the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji; the Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele; the Director of External Research, as well as top brass of the military high command led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Rene Claude Meka.

On the other side, the signing was witnessed by the Ambassador of CAR to Cameroon, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff of CAR defence forces and other officials. 

In his address after putting pen on paper for the accord, Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said the partnership accord is the materialization of the commitment of the leaders of both nations to preserve the relations of friendship and good neighbourliness. 

The minister said the accord will reinforce military ties between both nations which are linked by geography, history, culture among others.

Aside strengthening cross-border security, the minister said the accord also constitutes a powerful lever for maintaining and consolidating peace and stability on the common border, in the best interests of the populations of the two countries. 

He said the signing of the defence partnership accord takes ties between both nations to a new dimension. Beti Assomo said the deal is also fruit of permanent dialogue held in different localities in both nations over the years between the ministries of defence of both countries.

The accord, Beti Assomo added, is also concretization of constant collaboration of defence and security forces of both countries along the common border. 

Minister Beti Assomo also used the occasion to, on behalf of the Head of State, extend the hearty salutations of the President Biya to his CAR counterpart. 

On his part, the Central African Republic Minister of National Defence and Army Reconstruction, Claude Rameaux Bireau, said the accord is a testament of efforts of both leaders towards ensuring peace and security of their compatriots. 

He said the signing of the accord marks a decisive step towards strengthening of defence ties, especially in the fight against terrorists, rebel groups and other security threats along the common border. 

Minister Rameaux Bireau said the signing of accord comes within the context of the upliftment of the embargo on the purchase of arms by CAR. 

He, on behalf of his government, pledged that their commitment to seeing the implementation of all aspects of the accord. 

The accord, it should be said, comes within a context marked by persistence and resurgence of cross-border crime, characterised in particular by acts of serious banditry, kidnappings for ransom, highway robbery, cattle rustling, illegal transhumance, infiltration of armed gangs into the border areas, trafficking in arms and ammunition, poaching and trafficking in protected wildlife species, illegal exploitation of natural resources and incidents linked to misunderstandings along the border line. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3555 of Friday September 05, 2025