War in Ukraine: Cameroon confirms death of 16 nationals enlisted in Russian army

Cameroon confirmed on Monday the death of 16 of its citizens involved alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. 

The Cameroonian ministry of external relations published a list of 16 names it had obtained through a verbal note from the Russian embassy in Yaoundé on March 5, 2026. 

The document said the death of these Cameroonian nationals occurred in the zone of the so-called “special military operation,” a term used by Russia to describe its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022. 

The names of the 16 citizens were read on national radio on Monday.  Authorities called on the families of the deceased to reach out to the government. 

This is the first time that Yaoundé confirms the death of Cameroonian fighters involved with the Russian military in Ukraine. 

In February, an investigation from the collective All Eyes on Wagner found that hundreds of African combatants enlisted in the Russian military between 2023 and mid-2025 had died. 

With 94 deaths out of 335 fighters, Cameroon recorded the highest death toll among African contingents. 

In November 2025, Kyiv said Moscow had recruited over 1,400 African nationals to fight in its war against Ukraine. Over the past months, several African countries including Kenya and South Africa have had to address cases of citizens allegedly tricked into joining Russian armed forces.