Army and the Nation: The Rapid Intervention Battalion Securing Territorial Waters
Cameroon’s Maritime borders in the Ocean Division of the South Region is under permanent watch by the Rapid Intervention Battalion, (BIR) based in Kribi
The specialized unit of the army is an elite corps that tirelessly secures the maritime space.
The BIR also plays a vital role in the protection of the population of the Ocean Division.
Their area of command spans from Cameroon-Equatoria Guinea Borders in Campo through Ebome to the Sanaga high seas down to the Atlantic ocean. They also protect petroleum extraction zones ensuring maximum security against cantribant.
Joseph Kounaka, Commander of the Kribi BIR Zone explained that they ensure that the petroleum products are free from pirates. He added that Maritime activities like fishing have been prohibited in the zones.
“We don’t have any problem with the fishermen, but we are afraid that pirates can come in the disguise of fishermen and cause havoc in the petroleum extraction zones. They are other places in the sea that the fishermen can carryout their activities”.
The Commander of the BIR in Kribi Joseph Kounaka indicated that the ships docking at the Kribi Deep Seaport are protected thanks to the plausible effort of the BIR.
Many families in Kribi today benefit from the humanitarian gestures of the BIR. Amongst the project carryout within the context of civilian – military is the land mark bridge constructed at the Lobe falls by the Late Colonel Abraham Avi Sivan that today receives thousands of visitors and tourists on a monthly basis and the construction of classrooms in many schools in Kribi.
