Grouped within the movement “Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers,” civil society actors and families of victims are rising to draw public attention to the phenomenon and prompt the establishment of responsibilities.
The families of Cameroonians recruited to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine suffer, sometimes in silence. Civil society actors have joined forces within the movement “Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers” to bring their suffering to public attention. The movement conveys the expectations, uncertainties, and sadness of the families to public authorities and all social forces.
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Some are uncertain about their children, others have learned of the death of their loved ones on the battlefield of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. But they have no precise information about the circumstances of the death and the repatriation of the bodies. Likewise, the conditions of departure, the nature of the proposed commitments, and the actual level of training of the persons concerned regarding the risks involved are subjects of their inquiries.
In this context, the movement of civil society actors intends to ignite a support chain for the affected families; document reported cases and shed full light on recruitment networks. These networks exploit economic vulnerability and the aspiration for better prospects to expose Cameroonian citizens to an armed conflict without their full awareness.
For the movement, it is a matter of establishing the facts, documenting the phenomenon, identifying responsibilities, preventing new fraudulent recruitments, and dignifiedly supporting families facing the disappearance or death of a loved one. Through this movement, civil society actors want to “give a voice to these families confronted with absence and mourning, and ensure that responsibilities are established,” emphasizes Yannick Elessa, co-founder of the movement “Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers.”
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Already in contact with dozens of affected families who wish to organize and obtain answers, the members of the movement are mobilizing to “make their voices heard, obtain information about the fate of their loved ones, and prevent other young people from experiencing the same fate,” adds Paul Silver Yede, civil society actor and co-founder of the movement.
Created in August 2026, “Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers” presents itself as a movement of solidarity, truth, and protection of Cameroonian youth.
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