Relationship dossier
Cameroon
United States
Relationship assessment
Security cooperation persists alongside U.S. criticism and restrictions related to human-rights concerns.
Cameroon toward United States
+15Cameroon authorized a U.S. military deployment in 2015 to support surveillance against Boko Haram, providing a concrete instance of security cooperation with the United States.
United States toward Cameroon
-5The United States has provided security assistance to Cameroon, but suspended some assistance in 2019 amid human-rights concerns and ended Cameroon’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits in 2020.
Overall relationship
0The relationship has included practical counterterrorism cooperation and U.S. security and trade engagement, but U.S. restrictions linked to human-rights concerns, including the Anglophone conflict, are a substantial source of friction. These competing features characterize the bilateral relationship more than either sustained alignment or sustained confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cameroon and the United States have cooperated on regional security, including Cameroon’s authorization of a U.S. military deployment for surveillance against Boko Haram. U.S. policy has also included security assistance and trade benefits, alongside restrictions and assistance suspensions tied to human-rights concerns, particularly amid the Anglophone conflict. The relationship therefore combines practical cooperation with significant policy friction.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about human-rights violations amid the Anglophone conflict
- U.S. suspension of some security assistance to Cameroon
- Cameroon’s loss of eligibility for AGOA trade benefits
Key developments
Cameroon authorized the deployment of 300 U.S. troops to support surveillance operations against Boko Haram.
The United States suspended some security assistance to Cameroon amid concerns about human-rights violations.
The United States ended Cameroon’s eligibility for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of bilateral security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of continuing U.S. assistance and trade cooperation is uncertain.
- The effects of U.S. concerns about human rights and the Anglophone conflict on government engagement are unclear.