Russia has confirmed the deaths of 16 Cameroonian nationals fighting with its military in Ukraine, Cameroon's government said in an internal document obtained Tuesday.
The foreign ministry document acknowledging receipt of a fatality list from the Russian Embassy in Yaounde said the "contract soldiers" had been "engaged in the special military operation zone," using Russia's term for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The document, dated Monday, did not give further details on the circumstances of their deaths.
Ukraine says around 1,800 Africans have been enlisted to fight with Russian forces in the war since 2022. Some allege they were lured with fake promises of jobs or educational programs, after which they were forced into the army.
It marks the first time the government of Cameroon has acknowledged its citizens were recruited to fight in the war.
Cameroonian authorities asked the families of the deceased to contact the foreign ministry.
In February, the watchdog group All Eyes on Wagner published the names of 1,417 Africans enlisted into the Russian military from January 2023 to September 2025. More than 300 have died so far.
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