President Biya has finally awarded medals of Valour to soldiers of the Emergence 4 and Alpha operation units, regular soldiers who were excluded from a previous exercise on April 1. The first exercise which drew lots of bad blood within the ranks of the army, The Journal learned, was carried out with the elite unit of the armed forces, commonly known by its French acronym, BIR (Rapid Intervention Batallion). They are being decorated as recognition of their bravery in the war against Boko Haram insurgents.
April 20’s presidential decree announcing the decoration listed the locations where the honoured soldiers demonstrated such bravery and commitment. The names included two soldiers of the BIR who were left out in the previous awards – Commanders, Honore Kweme and Clement Ngaransou. Jacob Kodji and Joseph Nouma, colonels and chiefs of operations Emergence 4 and Alpha respectively, were awarded Cross of Military Valour medals.
Apparently in a bid to appease dissenting voices, the president decreed collective medal awards to battalions, regions and legions of the armed forces that consisted of all other units of the army, including officers of the national gendarmerie.
Fighters of the third and fourth regions which cover the gendarmerie legion of the North, legion of Logone and Chari, Diamare and the Multi-role unit of the National Gendarmerie also known as, GIGN, were part of it. Soldiers of the fourth joint military region of the BIR, airborne troops, the armoured reconnaissance battalion, the 41st and 42nd motorised brigade of the infantry, the 41st and 31st motorised battalion of the infantry, the 101, 102,201,202 and 301 Military Airbases, the marine and the 31 group of fire-fighters also received honours.
Biya equally granted what they described as satisfaction allowances to soldiers who have been taking part in military operations since May 17, 2014. Major-General Baba Souley and other high ranking officers who have not been at the war front, but are said to have participated strategic formations and logistics were equally granted allowances by the decree.
The decree comes amidst reports that several soldiers were grilled over the killing of a presidential guard, one Sergeant William Fouda, eldest son of Brigadier-general Joseph Fouda, presidential military adviser. Joseph Fouda is said to be the one who drew up the first list of honourees which included only soldiers of the BIR to the chagrin of other battalions.
After the decorations of April 1, The Journal gathered that Joseph Fouda began getting threats from within army ranks. The senior army official, reports said was faulted for recommending the awards of medals to soldiers of the BIR and ignoring other units of the armed forces.
On April 14 his son, Sergeant William was killed, mutilated and his body dumped on the railway in Yaounde. Though recent reports are pointing towards a relationship gone wrong involving the deceased, his wife and a lover who is said to have been in another relationship, analysts say it may just be a diversion created by security forces to avert further tension within the armed forces. In the meantime, presidential guards are currently investigating what happened...
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