Sixteen Cameroonians have been killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, the BBC has confirmed after a foreign ministry source verified that a recently leaked diplomatic note circulating on social media about the deaths was authentic.
The government has faced criticism over its prolonged silence on the issue – and this marks the first recognition of the involvement of its nationals in the conflict.
A recent report by All Eyes on Wagner, a group that investigates mercenary activities worldwide, said 94 Cameroonians had died in the war between 2023 and 2025.
The leaked note – from Cameroon’s foreign ministry to the Russian embassy – describes the 16 who had died as “military contractors”.
Attempts to contact the Russian embassy about the note, which was dated 5 March, were unsuccessful.
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1,700 individuals from 36 African nations have been recruited to fight for Russia.
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Cameroon still has not acknowledged the deaths in an official statement.
However, on Monday a statement from the foreign ministry was sent to the state broadcaster CRTV, listing the names of 16 Cameroonians it said were resident in Russia.
Aired on Monday evening, it asked the relatives of those named to get in touch about an urgent matter, giving no further information.
While Cameroon refrains from publicly commenting on its nationals participating in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Reuters news agency reports that it saw an internal memo from March 2025 in which the defence minister expressed concern over soldiers leaving the country to fight in Ukraine, and asked officers to monitor their units.
Several African nations have sought to address the worrying number of their nationals being lured to fight for Russia.
Ghana is amongst those which has urged Russia to stop recruiting combatants. The West African nation says at least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war.
In February, Kenya’s foreign minister told the BBC that more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs abroad had been closed.
Sixteen Kenyans are said to be missing in Russia, while 47 others have returned home from the front in Ukraine, officials have said.
Zimbabwe says 15 nationals have been killed after being recruited, and more than 60 people are still trapped on the front lines.
Earlier this year, South Africa repatriated 17 citizens who said they had been trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being deceived into fighting for Russia.