The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has taken on a new, underreported dimension with the confirmation that dozens of citizens from across the African continent have died after being recruited to fight alongside Russian forces, sparking growing outcry over deceptive recruitment practices and government inaction.
For Cameroon, the development marks the first implicit confirmation of its nationals’ involvement in the war, after a diplomatic source verified to the BBC the authenticity of a leaked foreign ministry note that acknowledged 16 Cameroonians had been killed while serving as military contractors for Russia. The leaked document, dated March 5 and addressed to the Russian Embassy in Cameroon, has not been addressed publicly by Russian officials, as multiple attempts to secure comment from the embassy went unanswered.
Cameroon’s government has faced sharp public criticism for its months-long silence on the issue, and has yet to issue a formal public statement acknowledging the deaths. In a low-key development on Monday, the country’s foreign ministry sent a brief statement to state-owned broadcaster CRTV that listed the names of 16 Cameroonians said to be resident in Russia. The broadcast, which aired Monday evening, only asked relatives of the listed individuals to contact authorities for an urgent matter, offering no further context that would confirm the deaths.
This quiet confirmation aligns with earlier findings from All Eyes on Wagner, an independent research group that tracks global mercenary activity, which estimated that 94 Cameroonians had died in the conflict between 2023 and 2025. Internal government documents obtained by Reuters also reveal that Cameroon’s defense ministry raised alarm over the issue as early as March 2025, when the defense minister issued a memo expressing concern over active-duty soldiers leaving the country to enlist in the war, and ordering unit commanders to step up monitoring of personnel.
The crisis stretches far beyond Cameroon’s borders. Ukrainian intelligence officials estimate that more than 1,700 individuals from 36 different African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Multiple African governments have already documented deaths, missing persons, and deceptive recruitment rings targeting their citizens.
Ghana, another West African nation that has been heavily impacted, has publicly called on Russia to halt all recruitment of its citizens, confirming that at least 55 Ghanaians have been killed in the conflict. In Kenya, authorities have cracked down on criminal recruitment networks that lured job seekers with false promises of well-paying work abroad. Kenya’s foreign ministry confirmed in February that more than 600 suspect recruitment agencies have been shut down, with official data showing 16 Kenyans remain missing in Russia and 47 have returned home after escaping deployment to the front lines in Ukraine.
Zimbabwe has also reported 15 of its citizens killed after being recruited, with more than 60 still trapped in active combat zones. Earlier this year, South Africa successfully repatriated 17 of its citizens who told officials they had been tricked into deploying to Ukraine’s Donbas region to fight for Russia, and were left stranded after being pushed to the front lines.
The widespread recruitment of African nationals has prompted growing regional concern, with governments scrambling to crack down on illegal networks and hold those responsible accountable for the deceptive tactics that have left hundreds of families facing grief and uncertainty over missing loved ones.