Cameroon: State Intelligence, Power Rivalries and Private Misuse

In Cameroon, intelligence services stand at the intersection of security concerns, institutional power struggles and alleged private interests. An investigation published by Jeune Afrique describes a General Directorate for External Research (DGRE) weakened both by rivalries between networks close to the presidency and by the circulation of surveillance information outside official frameworks.

The reported elements portray a system in which intelligence reports can become instruments of influence. They also refer to alleged cases involving the surveillance of ordinary citizens, journalists and businesspeople. These accounts rely on sources cited by the investigation; they must therefore be distinguished from facts established by a court ruling.

The DGRE at the Centre of Rivalries at the Highest Level

The DGRE is presented as the service responsible for foreign intelligence. According to the investigation, several networks around President Paul Biya are said to be seeking influence over this structure and, above all, over the information brought to the head of state’s attention.

The names of Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, secretary-general of the presidency, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, director of the Civil Cabinet, Osvald Baboke, deputy director of the Civil Cabinet, Chantal Biya and Franck Emmanuel Biya are mentioned in this context of competition for influence. The issue would not concern merely the administrative control of a service: it would also involve the ability to present a particular reading of events through confidential reports.

The investigation draws in particular on two cases that gave rise to conflicting versions: the case of forged presidential decrees and the Cameroonian gold file. In the first case, a man had appeared at the offices of the public broadcaster with documents presented as presidential decrees. In the second, a report by a mining transparency organisation noted in 2023 a significant gap between gold production and officially declared exports.

These episodes would illustrate the coexistence of competing information channels. When the highest level of the state receives contradictory reports, the reliability of analysis, the decision-making chain and the autonomy of services become central questions.

The Case of Léopold Maxime Eko Eko and the Clash With Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh

Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, the former head of the DGRE, led the service for more than ten years. The investigation traces a rivalry said to have intensified from 2020, when a plan to appoint him ambassador to Brazil was reportedly considered. According to the reported information, he viewed it as an attempt to remove him from Yaoundé; the decree was ultimately not signed.

Subsequently, Léopold Maxime Eko Eko allegedly accused Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh of helping reduce the DGRE’s resources and of being behind manoeuvres directed against him. He is also said to have sent the presidency a report implicating the secretary-general of the presidency in the management of funds linked to the fight against Covid-19.

Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh was summoned before the Special Criminal Court in this case, according to the account reported. He disputes the accusations made against him. The investigation states that a police operation intended to arrest him at his home was suspended after he found himself surrounded by his armed guard.

In January 2023, Léopold Maxime Eko Eko is said to have submitted to President Paul Biya the findings of an investigation implicating Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh in an attempted coup. A few days later, the former DGRE chief was arrested as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Martinez Zogo. He has since been held in pretrial detention at Kondengui Central Prison, according to the cited information.

The chronological proximity of these events fuels the questions raised by the investigation. However, it does not by itself establish a causal link between the submission of this report and Léopold Maxime Eko Eko’s arrest.

When Surveillance Data Leave the Official Framework

Beyond internal struggles, the investigation describes alleged private uses of intelligence gathered by the state. Telephone data, information on movements and confidential reports could thus have been passed on to people outside authorised services.

A former agent operating under the assumed first name “Martial” claims that, in 2020, he put a man wishing to monitor his wife in contact with an officer responsible for interceptions. The client allegedly obtained phone records and information about his wife’s movements for 25,000 CFA francs. If confirmed, this testimony would raise questions about respect for privacy and the effective oversight of surveillance tools.

The investigation also reports the testimony of a businessman referred to as “Pegy,” who says he was warned by his contacts that his communications were being monitored while one of his shipments was of interest to customs officials. He claims that he then gave false information by telephone in order to direct inspections toward a competitor’s vehicles. He also says he requested a compromising report against a civil servant with whom he was in conflict, who was allegedly transferred more than 1,000 kilometres from Yaoundé.

A journalist called “Zacharie” in the investigation, for his part, says he received detailed information about his daily habits while working on a corruption case. According to his testimony, simply knowing that he was being followed was enough to prompt him to abandon his investigation.

In another aspect of the case, Justin Danwe, then director of operations at the DGRE, is presented as having passed sensitive information to Modeste Mopa Fatoing, former director of taxes, as well as businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga. The investigation claims that this intelligence was used to strengthen relationships and exert pressure. These assertions stem from the sources used by the investigation and, where appropriate, call for judicial verification.

A Network of Informants Close to the Population

Surveillance would not rely solely on central structures. According to several reported testimonies, undercover agents would be present in government administration, businesses and various sectors of society. A woman referred to as “Catherine” claims to work officially in the civil service while also carrying out assignments for the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST).

Her role would have involved identifying publications by journalists, opposition figures and ordinary citizens, then writing intelligence reports on their authors. In this configuration, a criticism posted on Facebook could be entered into state files.

The investigation also refers to the informal recruitment of young people in precarious situations. “Alphonse,” then a student, says he was invited to what he believed was a community association meeting before discovering an offer to carry out surveillance assignments in his neighbourhood. He allegedly refused. Others would accept, according to the collected account, because of promises of a civil service job or a stable salary.

The presence of informants in everyday life makes it more difficult to draw a clear line between security monitoring and political or personal surveillance. In a country where experiences with institutions may already be shaped by power relations, as recalled in this account of two stays in a cell in Yaoundé, transparency in procedures is particularly important.

The Precarious Situation of Agents and the Alleged Commercialisation of Intelligence

According to the investigation, the DGRE’s material weakening may have encouraged the resale of summary reports and confidential information at low prices. Sources refer to a service that sometimes lacks even the basic resources required for its operations.

This alleged shortage may have created conditions conducive to monetising information and using public tools for settling scores or conducting private transactions. Intelligence would then lose its primary purpose of protecting the state and become a resource accessible to those with contacts or money.

These alleged failings directly affect guarantees of confidentiality, equality of citizens before the administration and the credibility of the state. They also recall that institutional realities weigh on the lives of Cameroonians, including those considering a change of course or a return home, as illustrated by this account of resettling in Cameroon after ten years in the United States.

FAQ

What is the role of the DGRE in Cameroon?

The General Directorate for External Research is presented as the service responsible for foreign intelligence. However, the investigation refers to the existence of several competing channels around the presidency.

Have the allegations of private surveillance been established in court?

The reported cases are based on testimonies and investigative sources. The text does not allow them to be presented as facts established by a court ruling.

Why are contradictory reports a problem?

Diverging reports may reflect rivalries between networks and complicate the assessment of information passed to the highest level of the state.