Yaoundé, Cameroon – Cameroon’s foreign ministry has for the first time acknowledged that 16 of its citizens have died while serving as “military contractors “for Russia in Ukraine, after a leaked diplomatic note was authenticated by a ministry source and confirmed by the BBC.
The memorandum, dated 5 March and addressed to the Russian embassy in Yaoundé, lists the 16 deceased and was circulated on social media before officials verified its authenticity. Government spokespeople had previously declined to comment on reports of Cameroonian fighters in Ukraine.
A separate tally released by the investigative organisation All Eyes on Wagner claims 94 Cameroonians have been killed in the conflict between 2023 and 2025. The figure has not been confirmed by either Cameroonian or Russian authorities.
On Monday evening state broadcaster CRTV read out the 16 names provided by the foreign ministry, describing the individuals as “Cameroonian residents in Russia “and asked their families to contact authorities urgently. No explanation of the deaths was given on air.
An internal March 2025 defence ministry memo seen by Reuters shows the minister instructing senior officers to monitor troops amid concern over soldiers leaving the country to enlist in Ukraine. The document does not state how many service members are suspected of departing.
Ukrainian intelligence services estimate that Russia has recruited more than 1,700 fighters from 36 African countries since the invasion began. Other governments have reported similar losses: Ghana says at least 55 of its citizens have died, Zimbabwe confirms 15 fatalities, and South Africa this year repatriated 17 citizens who said they were misled into fighting in the Donbas.
Source: [BBC Africa](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg0v5gy01go?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
