The directive, numbered 57397 / MRP / MINDEF / 01, was reportedly signed by Beti Assomo Joseph, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence. It was addressed to key military and security structures including the Chief of Defence Staff, the heads of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the National Gendarmerie, and copied to the Presidency’s Military Cabinet and other high-level commands.
By The Independentist Editor in chief on special assignment. – October 17, 2025
A confidential radio message purportedly issued by Cameroon’s Ministry of Defence on 15 October 2025 has set off a storm of speculation within political and security circles. The document, classified Confidential – Top Secret, instructs multiple senior security commands to provide protocol accompaniment for about thirty high-ranking government personalities at Yaoundé–Nsimalen International Airport ahead of their embarkation on an unspecified flight.
The directive, numbered 57397 / MRP / MINDEF / 01, was reportedly signed by Beti Assomo Joseph, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence. It was addressed to key military and security structures including the Chief of Defence Staff, the heads of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the National Gendarmerie, and copied to the Presidency’s Military Cabinet and other high-level commands.
According to the text, the operation is presented as a national representation mission, requiring immediate arrangements for security screening, facilitation, and coordination with airport authorities up to the point of embarkation. It further demands a concise report after execution, stressing absolute priority in carrying out the instructions.
A Routine Escort or a Strategic Evacuation
The language of the memo resembles standard protocol orders for escorting officials on foreign missions. In that sense, the content is entirely plausible and consistent with Cameroonian military communication practices.
However, the timing and scale of the operation have raised eyebrows. The memo comes just three days after the highly contested October 12 presidential election, which has plunged the country into political uncertainty, with allegations of massive electoral fraud particularly in the conflict-torn Northwest and Southwest regions, and with the sudden emergence of Issa Tchiroma Bakary as a surprise frontrunner.
In this tense context, the order to provide protocol for about thirty high-ranking personalities has fueled speculation that this may not be an ordinary diplomatic mission, but rather a coordinated exit of regime insiders in anticipation of potential instability.
Doubts About Authenticity and Intent
While the document bears many hallmarks of an authentic Ministry of Defence radio message, including official routing, military abbreviations, format, classification markings, and signature line, its real intent remains uncertain, and several possibilities are being debated among observers:
Legitimate Foreign Mission
It could be a genuine diplomatic or security delegation traveling abroad for official talks. Similar memos have been used in the past for multilateral defense meetings or emergency summits.
Preemptive Evacuation
The government might be discreetly moving key officials out of the country as a precautionary measure in case the post-election situation deteriorates.
Cover for a Controlled Withdrawal
Using a routine protocol escort narrative would allow a strategic exit to appear administrative, avoiding panic or signaling weakness.
Forged or Amplified Document
There is also the possibility that the memo was leaked, altered, or fabricated to spread rumors of collapse or to test the reaction of different factions within the military and population.
So far, there has been no official public statement from the Ministry of Defence or the Presidency to confirm or deny the contents of the radio message. Likewise, no independent media outlet has published flight manifests or footage indicating a mass departure of senior officials.
What to Watch
Analysts say the situation should be monitored closely over the coming days. Flight logs at Nsimalen International Airport, diplomatic movements abroad, and sudden absences of top military commanders may reveal whether the radio message was operationalized.
If confirmed, the departure of thirty high-ranking personalities in the current climate would be a significant political signal, either of a regime hedging against instability, or of internal fractures widening at the top.
For now, the message stands as both plausible and ambiguous, a mirror reflecting the opaque power dynamics in Yaoundé at a moment of acute national tension.
This story is developing. The Independentist is actively verifying the authenticity of the radio message with security and diplomatic sources.
Filed: October 17, 2025 | Yaoundé – Nsimalen – Bamenda.
Ali Dan Ismael editor in chief on special assignment
