INTRODUCTION
“Even if, by definition, the primary mission of our armed forces is to ensure peace and defend the integrity of our country’s territory, they nonetheless play a part in creating conditions conducive to its development” [1]. This statement by Cameroon’s Head of State shows that, in addition to its statued missions, the Army also participates in the development and improvement of the population’s living conditions, through Civil-Military Actions. Under the impetus of France in 1995 and the United States [2], civil-military actions were adopted by Cameroon as a new means of influencing crisis management. The decision to turn to civil-military actions was prompted by the fact that the Cameroonian state was facing a number of crises that were undermining security and peace in the country.
BACKGROUND
No longer a haven of peace, Cameroon is facing a crisis-ridden situation [3] across most of its territory, in the East, North, Far North, North-West and South-West regions. The use of civil-military actions as a means of crisis management was deemed necessary in the latter three regions, given the asymmetric nature of the conflicts present there. By asymmetrical conflict, we mean a conflict that pits a State with a structured, conventional regular army against diffuse terrorist movements or guerrillas that are just as diffuse, unstructured and therefore sometimes difficult to identify [4]. In reality, separatists and terrorists blend into the population, sowing terror and insecurity, and sometimes succeeding in getting part of the population on their side. Hence the purpose of civil-military actions, which is to win hearts and minds. But does this battle for hearts and minds have any real impact on crisis resolution and the ultimate goal of protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of people and property?
AN OVERVIEW OF ACTIONS CARRIED OUT
The civil-military actions carried out in the North-West, South-West and Far-North are of various kinds, notably in the fields of education, health, infrastructure construction, agriculture, food security and so on. They fall into two categories: one-off actions and quick-impact projects. One-off actions are carried out to meet an immediate need. These are actions that focus on a specific point, place or environment [5], with a view to satisfy a specific need in the population. Quick impact projects (QIPs), on the other hand, involve the design and implementation of a project intended to serve the population as soon as possible, for medium- or long-term use. These projects aim to support small, strategically selected projects that can have a multiplier effect on the ability to meet the challenges of the rehabilitation process and strengthen the resilience of the population in line with the UN peacekeeping process [6].These include educational support, free health campaigns, road and borehole construction, rehabilitation of schools and hospitals, and food donations. On May 04, 2020, in the Far North region, the Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) based in Salak donated grinding mills to the people of Petté in Diamaré; more recently, on July 31, 2023, the defense forces built classrooms in Mora and Amtchiali [7] and, in view of the drought affecting the region, constructed boreholes in the localities of Kangaleri and Touski. In the North-West and South-West regions, the Cameroonian armed forces are committed to “not waging war on the Cameroonians, but working to bring those who have lost their way back to their senses” [8]. Some examples of actions that have been carried out in these Regions are the free consultations and care of the sick in the Menchum department in June 2019, [9] and on January 23, 2020, the handing over of school desks in high schools and elementary school in the town of Mamfé [10]. All these actions are not insignificant, as they have precise objectives and a notable impact on the management of the crisis, on the population and its relationship with the army.
IMPACT OF CIVIL-MILITARY ACTIONS
In the Anglophone crisis and the war against Boko-Haram, civil-military actions have made a considerable contribution to strengthening the Army-Nation bond, which is essential in a context of asymmetric conflict. The army needs the trust of the population, which in turn will help to flush out the enemy hiding in its midst. This collaboration will have a twofold effect, namely to contribute to the development of the population and localities, and to achieve the ultimate objective of protecting the territory, property and people.
In the Far North Region, this method has proven successful that communities have formed vigilance committees to support the army in its operational objectives, in the identification of foreigners and in intelligence. On November 09, 2015 in the town of Fotokol, a member of the committee helped neutralize two suicide bombers who were heading for the market, this at the cost of his life. Similarly, in Amchidé, a town bordering Nigeria, the vigilance committee identified and neutralized 30 jihadists in five days [11]. In the North-West and South-West regions, on the other hand, despite some progress in the acceptance of the army’s constant presence, the same enthusiasm is hard to find, due to certain challenges in the implementation of civil-military actions.
CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED
In the war against Boko-Haram, it has been easy over the years to denounce the enemy’s presence within the population, as most of the terrorists were foreigners. In the North-West and South-West regions, on the other hand, the belligerents are mostly family members, who are difficult to denounce for fear of reprisals.
The most notorious limitation is undoubtedly the population’s distrust for defence Forces, due to the exactions, extortion, torture, arbitrary arrests and human rights violations committed by the latter [12]. This situation excludes the enthusiasm of the population to collaborate with the army, despite the civil-military actions that are carried out.
Another reason for this reluctance is the fact that the population and ex-combatants deplore the government’s broken promises in the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process [13].
Generally speaking, there is a limit to the funding of civil-military actions, which are not yet formally budgeted for. Certain resources need to be deployed for them to be effective. There is also a lack of coordination between the armed forces and local authorities and civil organizations, which is necessary to identify and meet the needs of the population. It would therefore be wise to remedy these shortcomings in order to maximize the positive impact of civil-military actions on restoring security and assisting the population.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Cameroon has opted to implement civil-military actions, which, in addition to contributing to the country’s development, help strengthen the Army-Nation link that is so vital in resolving asymmetrical conflicts. However, in view of the challenges and limits of the total impact of civil-military actions, and with a view of making them more effective, especially in the North-West and South-West Regions, it would be wise to incorporate a number of measures. As such, the state can;
- Systematically sanction reprehensible acts or non-respect of human rights by all actors involved in a conflict and encourage civilians to denounce such acts.
- Set up a quarterly evaluation process to assess the progress made towards more effective and advantageous DDR process, in agreement with the Joint Military Regions. It is essential to identify the limits of actions undertaken in regions in conflict, and to truly integrate the expectations of the population, in order to enable the population to collaborate with the Army.
- The state may consider budgeting for civil-military actions within the army, to ensure more structured funding.
- Set up a coordination plan to enable the Cameroonian Army to benefit from the expertise of national and international civil society organizations in humanitarian assistance and community mobilization.
By incorporating these proposed solutions, civil-military actions, which could also be regarded as soft power approach [14] to crisis management, may have undeniable positive effects throughout Cameroon, and the government of Cameroon could move closer to its ultimate goal of restoring peace and security.
Angella NGUEMA MFOMO
Marie Angella NGUEMA MFOMO is an intern in the Peace and Security division of the Nkafu Policy Institute at Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation. Prior to this position, she worked as facilitator and RDS invstigator for Care Cameroon during the IBBS study; she has also been an intern at the Army General Staff of the Defense Ministry of Cameroon.
