On May 23, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo, issued a press release. The source announced a special recruitment drive for the Cameroon Defense Forces. The army plans to add 1,800 male commandos to the Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (BIR), its elite unit.

Selection tests will run from July 12 to August 9, 2025. The army will hold the tests in the capitals of all ten administrative regions.

Candidates must meet strict conditions. Applicants must be at least 18 years old by January 1, 2025, and no older than 23 by December 31, 2025. Only single people without children can apply.

Applicants must have a clean legal record, good moral character, and never have been convicted by a Cameroonian court. The army requires candidates to pass medical, intellectual, and physical fitness tests.

Minimum requirements include a Certificate of Primary Studies (CEP), a First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), or an equivalent diploma. Also, candidates must be at least 1.66 m tall (5.4 ft).

Security Context Remains Tense

The last similar recruitment took place in October 2023. The army had added 2,000 new commandos to the BIR. 

These recruitments aim to boost the army’s operational strength at all levels—non-commissioned members, non-commissioned officers, and officers.

Cameroon faces ongoing security challenges. Since 2015, the army has fought Boko Haram in the Far North. The North-West and South-West regions have suffered from separatist armed insurgency since 2016. The eastern border with the Central African Republic remains unstable. Central African rebel groups make regular incursions into Cameroonian territory.

The army also faces a growing manpower shortage. Some soldiers desert the barracks to emigrate illegally. Others—a more recent trend—join international conflicts. Several ex-Cameroonian soldiers have been spotted fighting in the war in Ukraine.

Source: Sbbc