Three rapid intervention battalions, the so-called BIR. As mentioned. (…) The last BIR was created in 2007 in the RMIA 2: 1000 men were then recruited. The BIR were created with the assistance of Israeli instructors who not only trained them but provided their high-tech equipment.
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Finally, the presidential guard does its training in a special centre: the instruction and training centre of Minkama (Obala).The Israelis are still training the presidential guard and providing its equipment.
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it is very hard to have an accurate idea of the number of staff attributed to the secret units, namely the presidential guard, the DSP (direction de la securite presidentielle) and the DGRE (Direction generale des renseignements exterieurs). The manpower of these units are unknown, and are often excluded from that of the armed forces. The BIR are also trained and organised in a parallel way by the Israelis and it is very hard to get a clear idea of the number of staff that are integrated.
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In fact, Cameroon’s armed forces have no real military action planning capacity. The only operational structure is the BQG (Brigade de Quartier General), which is responsible for the security of Yaoundé. This organisation depends organically on the army, but is operationally at the disposal of the Chief of Staff and, in reality, is dependent on the President. During the riots, the chief of BQG set up an operational centre: he led the operations using an Israeli technique, which consisted of infiltrating rioters with soldiers wearing civilian clothes who can transform themselves, in a few seconds, into a repressive force, once the leaders have been identified.