One of the most senior Francophone army officers to serve in Douala during the break down of law and order and who in his later years faced natural justice in a ghastly car crash has died aged 87.

General Philippe Mpay led Cameroon government military operations in the city of Douala and went on to become a hate figure for his leadership that saw the killing of many innocent civilians.

Major General Philippe Mpay of the Francophone dominated Cameroon government army passed away at the military hospital in Yaoundé. Mpay died in the early hours of Saturday, May 9, 2026 according to multiple family sources.

The soldier man was a very influential figure deep within the military and headed the notorious Operational Command established to combat serious crime in the Douala metropolis in 2000.

Mpay was promoted to Brigadier General on February 5, 1993, and then to Major General on September 25, 2001.  Until his passing, the late Major General served as Commander of Military Schools and Training Centers and also in the Military Chambers of courts of appeal in nearly all regions of Cameroon.

Born in 1939 in Nguibassa in Nyong-et-Kellé, General Philippe Mpay passed away a few days after former Senate President Marcel Niat and former National Assembly President Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé