List of wars involving Cameroon

This is a list of wars and conflicts involving the Republic of Cameroon and its previous states.

Pre-Colonial Cameroon (Before 1882)

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Results	Head of State	Losses
Fulani War (1804 – 1808)	Sokoto Caliphate Support: Sultanate of Aïr	Hausa Kingdoms Gobir Katsina Kano Biram Daura Zazzau Kebbi And others... Kanem-Bornu Oyo Empire	Sokoto victory Establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate	Usman dan Fodio (Sultan of Sokoto)	Unknown

Colonial Cameroon (1882–1961)

British 12-pounder firing at Fort Dachang in 1915.

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Results	Head of State	Losses
Kamerun campaign (1914 – 1916)	Germany Kamerun	British Empire Nigeria   India   France French Equatorial Africa Belgium Belgian Congo	Allied victory Kamerun divided into League of Nations mandates under British and French rule (1919)	Wilhelm II (Emperor of Germany)	c. 5,000 soldiers killed [1]
Cameroon War (1955 – 1964)	Independence War Phase (1955–1960) France (1955–1960) French Cameroon Civil War Phase (1960–1964) Federal Republic of Cameroon France	Union of the Peoples of Cameroon Supported by: People's Socialist Republic of Albania [2]	Government's victory Cameroonian Independence through the establishment of a Pro-French Regime under Ahmadou Ahidjo Defeat of UPC insurgents Continued clashes until 1971	Before 1960 René Coty (President of France) (1955–1959) Charles de Gaulle (President of France) (1959–1960) After 1960 Ahmadou Ahidjo (President of Cameroon)	61,300 – 76,300 civilians killed [3]

Republic of Cameroon (1961–Present)

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Results	Head of State	Losses
First Bakassi insurgency (2006–2018)	Cameroon	Democratic Republic of Bakassi Niger Delta militias Pro-Nigerian militias	Victory Most militants surrendered in 2009	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Central African Republic Civil War (2012 – Present)	Central African Republic Central African Armed Forces MINUSCA (since 2014) EUTM-RCA (since 2016) Rwanda (since 2020) [4] Russia (since 2018) [4] Wagner Group [5] Russian Imperial Movement [6] Black Russians [7] Azande Ani Kpi Gbe [8] Formerly: South Africa (2013) MISCA (2013–2014) MICOPAX (2008–2013) Angola Cameroon Chad Morocco [9] Uganda Congo-Brazzaville DRC Gabon Burundi Equatorial Guinea São Tomé and Príncipe France (2013–2021) [10] EUFOR RCA (2014–2015) Estonia Finland Georgia Latvia Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Poland Romania Spain Italy	Coalition of Patriots for Change (since 2020) Anti-balaka FPRC MPC PRNC CMSPR (since 2024) [11] Support: Chad (alleged) RSF [12] Defunct groups: Séléka (2012–2014) CPJP CPSK UFDR FDPC FPR RJ (2013–2018) MNLC (2017–2019) MLCJ (2008–2022) RPRC (2014–2022) UPC (2014–2025) 3R (2015–2025)	Ongoing Séléka rebel coalition takes power from François Bozizé. [13] Michel Djotodia, the leader of Séléka, becomes president President Michel Djotodia abolishes Séléka Low-level fighting between Ex-Séléka factions and Anti-balaka militias. [14] President Michel Djotodia resigns amid heavy international pressure. Interim government is formed Elections conducted in 2016 with Faustin-Archange Touadéra becoming the president De facto split between ex-Séléka factions controlled north and east and Anti-balaka controlled south and west with a Séléka faction declaring the Republic of Logone. [15] Fighting between Ex-Séléka factions FPRC and UPC. Ex-president Bozizé merges all rebel groups and forms the Coalition of Patriots for Change. Elections in 2021 with Touadéra being re-elected as president.	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Boko Haram insurgency (2012 – Present)	Nigeria Multinational Joint Task Force [16] [17] [18] [19] Cameroon Local militias and vigilantes [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] Foreign mercenaries [25] [26] Sultan Murad Division (from 2024) [27] [28] Supported by: United States [29] [30] Russia [31] China [32] France [32] United Kingdom [32] [33] African Union [34] [35] Turkey [36] [37] Pakistan [38] [39] Canada [40] Egypt [41] [42] Israel [43] European Union [44] Colombia [45] [46]   Belarus [47]	Islamic State (2015-Present) ISWA (2015-2016) ISWAP (from 2016, originally Barnawi faction of Boko Haram) [48] [49] ISSP Lakurawa (2016-present) [50] al-Qaeda [51] Ansaru (2012-present) [a] Supported by: Al-Shabaab [56] AQIM [57] [58] Boko Haram (2009-2015, 2016-) [b] Shekau faction Several minor factions [59]	Ongoing (Map of the current military situation) Expansion of conflict into Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Niger Turkish forces and Syrian mercenaries deployed to Niger Coalition offensive in 2015 forces Boko Haram to retreat into the Sambisa Forest Abubakar Shekau killed on 19 May 2021 amid ISWAP's capture of Sambisa Forest Boko Haram largely dissolves and rise of ISWAP		Unknown
Anglophone Crisis (2017 – Present)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Ongoing		120+ [62]
Pro-Biafran insurgency in Bakassi (2021–present)	Cameroon Nigeria	BNL Niger Delta militias (from 2025)	Ongoing	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown

Ambazonia Crisis (2017- Present)

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Results	Head of State	Losses
Battle of Batibo (March 3, 2018 [63] )	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Indecisive	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Ndop prison break (July 28, 2018 [64] )	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Ambazonian victory	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	unknown
Wum prison break (September 25, 2018)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Ambazonian victory	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Operation Free Bafut (26 April – May 1, 2020 [65] )	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Armed separatists weakened but not expelled entirely from Bafut	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Operation Bamenda Clean (8 September 2020 [66] –present)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Ongoing	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
Operation Bui Clean (May – June 2021)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Cameroon claims Victory Ambazonia forces remain a strong presence	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	Unknown
September 2021 Bamessing ambush (September 16, 2021)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Ambazonian victory	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	15
Battle of Bambui (July 31, 2022)	Cameroon	Ambazonia	Cameroonian victory	Paul Biya (President of Cameroon)	26

Notes

1. The exact origin of Ansaru is unclear, but it had already existed as Boko Haram faction ^[52] before officially announcing its foundation as separate group on 1 January 2012. ^{[52] [53] [54]} The group had no known military presence in Nigeria from 2015, but several of its members appear to be still active. The group appear allied with rag-tag factions in the Nigerian bandit conflict and were recently behind the Abuja–Kaduna train attack ^[55]
2. Following Mohammed Yusuf's death, Boko Haram splintered into numerous factions which no longer operated under a unified leadership. Though Abubakar Shekau eventually became the preeminent commander of the movement, he never really controlled all Boko Haram groups. Instead, the factions were loosely allied, but also occasionally clashed with each other. ^{[59] [60]} This situation changed in 2015 when Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIL. Regardless, Shekau did never officially renounce his pledge of allegiance to ISIL as a whole; his forces are thus occasionally regarded as "second branch of ISWAP". Overall, the relation of Shekau with ISIL remains confused and ambiguous. In the Battle of Sambisa Forest of 2021 ISWAP fighters killed Shekau and al-Barnawi nominally remains head of ISWAP ^[61]

References

Citations

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22. ICG (2018), pp. 5, 6. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFICG2018 (help)
23. ICG (2018), pp. i, 3, 7. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFICG2018 (help)
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44. "Feeling the heat: West combats extremists' advance in Africa's deserts". CNN. 27 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
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48. "Shekau Resurfaces, Accuses New Boko Haram Leader al-Barnawi of Attempted Coup". 360nobs. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
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50. "Everything We Know About Lakurawa, the New Terrorist Group in Nigeria". 9 November 2024.
51. ICG 2014, pp. 22–24, 27. sfn error: no target: CITEREFICG2014 (help)
52. ICG 2014, p. 26. sfn error: no target: CITEREFICG2014 (help)
53. Sudarsan Raghavan (31 May 2013). "Nigerian Islamist militants return from Mali with weapons, skills". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
54. Steve White (13 March 2013). "Nigerian hostage deaths: British hostage executed in error". Daily Mirror . Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
55. Jacob Zenn (9 December 2017). "Electronic Jihad in Nigeria: How Boko Haram Is Using Social Media". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
56. ICG 2014, pp. 22, 26. sfn error: no target: CITEREFICG2014 (help)
57. ICG 2014, pp. 22, 26, 27. sfn error: no target: CITEREFICG2014 (help)
58. "Islamists Ansaru claim attack on Mali-bound Nigeria troops: paper". Reuters. 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013.
59. TRADOC G-2 (2015), pp. 4, 19. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFTRADOC_G-22015 (help)
60. ICG 2014, pp. ii, 22, 26, 27. sfn error: no target: CITEREFICG2014 (help)
61. Warner & Hulme (2018), p. 22. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFWarnerHulme2018 (help)
62. "Cameroon says Military Casualties Mounting". Voice of America. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
63. 4000 persons in Batibo displaced after deadly clashes between gunmen and security forces, Journal du Cameroun, Mar 8, 2018. Accessed Aug 25, 2018.
64. Ndop prison burnt, prisoners freed, Journal du Cameroun, July 29, 2018. Accessed July 29, 2018.
65. Cameroon:Two Ambazonia ‘Generals’ killed after military raid in Bafut, Journal du Cameroun, May 4, 2020. Accessed May 4, 2020.
66. Cameroon: Security officials in Bamenda launch operation to protect population, Journal du Cameroun, Sep 8, 2020. Accessed Sep 9, 2020.

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