It was 154 years ago that the Marine Troops Division bravely withstood the invasion of Prussian soldiers in eastern France. The commemoration of the Battle of Bazeilles took place on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at the Cercle de l’Assistance Militaire Technique in Yaoundé. The ceremony was jointly prosided over by His Excellency Thierry Marchand, Ambassador of France to Cameroon, and Mr. KOUMPA ISSA, Secretary of State to the Ministry of Defence in charge of Ex-Servicemen and War Victims.

There were four highlights during this commemorative ceremony.

At 10.30am, the Secretary of State to the Minister of Defence in charge of Ex-Servicemen and War Victims, KOUMPA ISSA, representing the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph BETI ASSOMO, arrived at the Cercle de l’Assistance Militaire Technique (AMT) in Yaoundé. He was welcomed by His Excellency Thierry Marchand, French Ambassador to Cameroon, and Colonel Frédéric EDEL, his Defence Attaché.

The ceremony itself began with the simultaneous raising of the Cameroonian and French Flags, followed by the playing of the national anthems of both countries, respectively. Then, Major De Courrèges read out the tale of the battle at Bazeilles as a tribute to the patriotism, bravery and high sense of duty of the French soldiers of the Marine Troops Division, also known as the “Blue Division”. Under the command of General Vassoigne, the Blue Division heroically defended eastern France, which had been invaded by the Prussian army in 1870.

Now a symbol of the Marine Troops, the anniversary of this episode in France’s military history is celebrated every year by all corps in France and overseas. The playing of the Last Post, followed by a minute’s silence in memory of the many soldiers who died in the battle, brought this particularly moving moment to a close.

After the family photo, two speakers took to the podium. Colonel EDEL and the French Ambassador delivered their speeches to an audience of Cameroonian civil and military authorities, Defense Attachés and other guests. They all gave an assessment of the military cooperation between Cameroon and France in the course of the year. According to the French diplomats, this historic cooperation has been fruitful, with Cameroon ranking third among the countries benefiting from France’s operational military partnership in Central Africa, with 1,079 personnel trained in French military institutions by 2024.

Cameroon is also the only partner to have participated in all the international training sessions conducted in Libreville by French servicemen stationed in Gabon. The year 2023 was marked by a significant increase in the number of Cameroonian military personnel trained in France. This increase was estimated at 60% for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 cycles.

This great moment of remembrance, during which the living recalled military feats and paid tribute to those who bravely defended France in 1870 at the risk of their live, ended at 12 o’clock with the solemn presentation of the new French cooperants in Cameroon, followed by a reception.