“We Are Solders Of The Republic”

How do you justify your actions in the southern coastal zone, especially regarding the disputed areas? Our presence there is guided by two principles: the defence of national sovereignty and strict adherence to the rules of engagement. First, sovereignty. Dipikar Island, for example, is Cameroonian territory. Our role is to affirm the presence of the State there. Not to provoke, not to escalate, but to mark that presence. There is no great animosity with our neighbours. We speak, we coordinate where possible. But the flag of Cameroon must fly. That is our duty. Second, the rules of engagement. Every action we take is framed by orders from the chain of command and by international law, particularly the law of the sea. We do not act on impulse. Before any deployment, before any intervention, we have clear instructions: what we can do, what we must not do, and how to de-escalate. So to justify our actions: we are soldiers of the Republic. We execute the orders of the Republic, within the law. Besides military duties, what does your battalion do in the Campo district? Aside from its military duties, the Navy is called upon to support other government departments in their respective tasks. This is what we refer to as public service missions. For instance, the Ministry of Fisheries may request our assistance in conducting patrols against illegal fishing. The Ministry of Trade may require our support in combating the smuggling of prohibited goods. The same applies to the Ministry of Finance, particularly with the Customs, with regard to counter- smuggling operations. These requests arise because the Navy possesses nautical capabilities that other agencies simply do not have. As a result, such missions are not at all uncommon. In fact, they are recurrent, and one might even say almost permanent. What place do women occupy within your command? To speak about the role of women in the 11th BAFUMAR is to speak about the role of women more broadly across our armed forces. There is no role specifically designated for women. Women serve in every capacity, in accordance with their aptitude. The Navy, moreover, has its own school of diving. It is worth noting that Cameroon is the first country in Central Africa to have trained female military divers. Diving is not a man’s profession. Women are equally capable of undertaking it. In this particular unit we have not yet had a female diver, but that will come in due course. At present, the most senior woman here holds the rank of Maître, which is equivalent to Staff Sergeant in the Army. The Cameroonian Army places considerable emphasis on the gender approach. As evidence, we presently have the new Commander of the Limbe Naval Base, who previously served here as battalion commander, in this very office, on this very ...