In a ceremony that brought together government officials such as the Minister of State, Minster of Higher Education, the Minister, Director of Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic, the Secretary General of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, the Secretary of State to the Minister of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, the Governor of the Centre Region, members of the diplomatic corps and a cross section of the Military high command led by the Major General, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff at the Headquarters’ Brigade, even the drizzling rain, could not stop the commissioning of the new Commander into his new office.

After the positioning of the standards at the courtyard of the Headquarters’ Brigade ceremonial ground, the new Commander marched in to be conferred authority by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, who called on the troops of the First Joint Military region to a strict obedience of the orders to be given to them by their Commander for the good of the service and the observation of set out military rules before asking him to ‘take command’.

‘I want to ask you to watch over the discipline of the personnel under your command, this discipline which is and remains the principal strength of the Army. I invite you to equally observe an operational vigilance over a territorial sphere as this which comprises of the political capital and many strategic interests and to watch over the quality of relations within your formations, units and the civilian populations’, said Beti Assomo Joseph while addressing the Brigadier General.

Brigadier General Melingui Nouma Donatien was appointed Commander of the first Joint Military Region with Command Post in Simbock by an August 3, 2026 Presidential decree. He takes over from Brigadier General Ezo’o Mvondo Simon of blessed memory. Prior to this appointment, he occupied the post of Interim Commander of the First Joint Military Region.