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In October 2025, Cameroon’s 92-year-old authoritarian president, Paul Biya, secured another term in elections widely regarded as undemocratic and fraudulent. For 42 years, Biya has ruled Cameroon through repression, violence, the detention of political opponents and journalists, and widespread corruption.

Yet Cameroon remains one of Israel’s most important partners in Africa, while Israel has been one of President Biya’s key allies since 1984.

The official website of Israel’s embassy in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, presents a polished version of bilateral relations. It states that “the Republic of Cameroon and the State of Israel have maintained cooperative ties since Cameroon’s independence in 1960. Cooperation was temporarily suspended in 1973 (with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War), when many African countries severed bilateral relations with Israel. In 1986, Cameroon was among the first African states to renew diplomatic ties with Israel.”

On the resumption of relations, the official account offers little detail. It notes that in 1986, Israel’s ambassador to Cameroon, Gadi Golan, said the two countries were “jointly engaged in a human-scale enterprise,” pursuing “direct and practical cooperation in line with the needs of a century nearing its end.” It also highlights a visit that August by Prime Minister Shimon Peres to Yaoundé, described as a mission to restore diplomatic ties. Peres reportedly brought emergency medical supplies and personnel to assist victims of a devastating volcanic gas disaster that killed thousands of Cameroonians.

Partially declassified files from Israel’s State Archives tell a different story. As in other African countries, the renewed relationship was driven less by humanitarian concerns and more by Israeli military assistance aimed at helping Biya consolidate power during a critical period – following a failed coup attempt and amid fears of his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo, and his supporters. The cables confirm reporting published over the years while adding new........

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