At the invitation of French President François HOLLANDE, the Head of State His Excellency Paul BIYA and Mrs. Chantal BIYA left Yaoundé today Wednesday 13 August 2014 to participate in activities to commemorate 70th anniversary of the landing in Provence on 15 August 2014 in Toulon.

The ceremony is intended to pay homage to all the men who were part of the landing that helped to liberate France. The soldiers were of various origins, some of them Africans, and particularly Cameroonians who were part of the Dragon operation, as the landing was code named.

Over two hundred former soldiers are expected to take part in the commemoration in Toulon. The international ceremony will take place on the French carrier Charles de Gaulle.

The President of the Republic is accompanied by an official delegation made up of:

-René SADI Emmanuel, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation;

-Pierre MOUKOKO MBONJO; Minister of External Relations;

-Martin BELINGA EBOUTOU, Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic;

-Rear Admiral Joseph FOUDA, Special Adviser at the Presidency of the Republic;

-Lejeune MBELLA MBELLA, Cameroon’s Ambassador to France.

-Simon Pierre BIKELE, Chief of State Protocol.

Before leaving Yaounde, the Head of State granted an “exceptional” audience to H.E. YOOSSEM-KONTOU NOUDJIAMLO, Chad’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps who has come to the end of his stay in Cameroon. The audience was an occasion for the two personalities to make an overview of the excellent friendly ties between the two neighbouring countries. H.E. YOOSSEM-KONTOU NOUDJIAMLO praised the determination of President Paul BIYA to eradicate the scourge of Boko Haram which is creating a lot of trouble in the Far North Region. 

President Paul BIYA also granted audience to the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand NGOH NGOH.