As political tensions and street protests unfold across Cameroon, the country’s complex web of security forces has once again come under scrutiny. In “Command and Control in Crisis: An Analysis of Cameroon’s Security Force Leadership, Mandates, and Response to Internal Unrest ”, journalist and international relations analyst Nfor Hanson Nchanji examines the intricate power structure that underpins Cameroon’s security establishment.
Drawing on verified public records and recent deployments, the paper dissects how command authority flows or fragments among key institutions such as the National Police, the National Gendarmerie, the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR), and the conventional Armed Forces. It reveals a system deliberately designed around the presidency, where overlapping jurisdictions and competing hierarchies sustain loyalty but weaken accountability.
The analysis is timely. Following post-election unrest in 2025 and ongoing social tensions, questions of who authorises force, who controls what, and who answers when abuses occur have become central to understanding Cameroon’s governance model. Nchanji’s work situates these questions within the broader struggle between state control and democratic accountability, offering one of the most comprehensive civilian perspectives yet on how power is secured and contestedin modern Cameroon.
