Lured by the promise of employment in Russia, young Cameroonian men have instead found themselves thrust onto the front lines in Ukraine.
A Cameroonian group known as "Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers" is calling on both Russia and Cameroon to work together to dismantle covert recruitment networks that have been enlisting Cameroonians into the Russian army to fight in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
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The collective organised a peaceful march to the Russian Embassy on Wednesday as Cameroonians took to the streets of the country's capital, Yaoundé, to protest such schemes.
"This march aims to draw the attention of two friendly nations - Russia and Cameroon - urging them to do everything in their power to dismantle the clandestine network that continues to drain Cameroon of its sons," Paul Sylvain Yede, one of the group's cofounders, said.
According to a report by the collective "All Eyes on Wagner," at least 1,417 Africans have been recruited into the ranks of the Russian military, with more than 300 reported dead.
Lured by the promise of employment in Russia, these young men have instead found themselves thrust onto the front lines in Ukraine, where Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Catherine Djock has been waiting for news of her husband for the best part of a year after he travelled to Russia to take up what he thought would be work in a kitchen.
"For nine months, I have had no information about my husband’s situation - whether he is alive or not. I cannot accept that he is dead, as I have not seen his body; therefore, I believe he is still alive," she said.
"If he is alive, I want Russia to bring my husband back to me. He was supposed to work as a cook, but upon his arrival, he ended up on the front lines. I want the truth about my husband. That is why I have come out today."
Ngong San Djombi, the father of a victim, added: "I lost a son - the youngest of my five children. I demand that my son be returned to me, regardless of his condition - even if he is disabled. I cannot accept being told he is gone when I haven’t seen his body. I have refused to hold a funeral; I have simply prayed."