Boko Haram Insurgency: UN, Others Concerned Over ‘Forced Return’ of Nigerian Refugees To Rann

Tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees are being forced to return to a remote town repeatedly attacked by Boko Haram, despite lacking security, food, water and shelter, aid agencies said Friday.

Cameroon Bans Burqas After Boko Haram Terror Attacks

Cameroon has banned burqas in the Far North region after two women dressed in the religious garments blew themselves up last week in a suspected Boko Haram attack, a local governor said on Wednesday.

Mistrust between Nigeria, Cameroon stalls fight against Boko Haram

DAKAR (Reuters) - Mistrust between Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon as well as disagreements over how to deploy troops against Boko Haram have stalled efforts to set up a regional force to combat the Islamist militants.

United States To Help Cameroon with Anti-Terrorism Training

The head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the U.S. will boost support for Cameroon’s efforts to fight the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. General David Rodriguez announced the United States will supply equipment and logistics training during a visit to Cameroon this week.

Boko Haram: Cameroon Weighs Death Penalty For Terrorism

(Reuters) - Lawmakers in Cameroon, which is battling to stop the advance of Nigerian Boko Haram militants on its territory, will vote in the coming days on whether to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of involvement in acts of terrorism.

Boko Haram Insurgency: Multinational Joint Task Force Begin Operation November 1

Troops from Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Republic of Benin, are to begin counter-terrorism operations to combat the Boko Haram insurgency along their national borders on November 1, 2014.

Cameroon Troops Kills 27 Boko Haram Militants in Border Clashes

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon's army has killed 27 members of Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram near a northern town, state radio said on Wednesday, in a sign of growing cross-border activity by the militants.

The Boko Haram fighters crossed the border into Cameroon earlier this week, after attacking a military base and police station in Nigeria and apparently sending some 480 Nigerian troops retreating across the frontier.

"Cameroon soldiers have killed 27 Boko Haram elements during an attack in a locality near Fotokol in the far-north," state radio CRTV said, adding that the deaths occurred on Monday and Tuesday. There was no word on any Cameroonian casualties.

A Cameroonian soldier in the region said the militants had been pushed back into Nigeria, with calm returning to the area on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Boko Haram, which is seeking to carve out a de facto Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks in Cameroon, leading the central African country to increase deployments along its jungle border.

But Cameroon has not always been successful in fending off Boko Haram raids. President Paul Biya dismissed two senior army officers last month
following attacks in which at least seven people were killed and the wife of the vice prime minister was kidnapped.

Reuters

Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kill 10 In Cameroon

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Suspected members of Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram killed 10 people and
kidnapped one in a raid on the village of Zigague in remote northern Cameroon on Wednesday, state radio reported.

The heavily armed gunmen arrived in a pick-up truck and on motorcycles at around 2 p.m. local time and stormed the house of a local chief, kidnapping one of his children and stealing a car, an army commander told state radio.
“On their way back, they came face-to-face with Cameroonian soldiers but succeeded in shooting to death nine villagers and a soldier of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR)," Albert Mekondane Obounou, senior divisional officer for the Logone and Chari region, told state radio.

Cameroon has introduced measures to increase security on its long jungle border with Nigeria, deploying more
than 1,000 soldiers, but has failed to stop Boko Haram raids.

President Paul Biya dismissed two senior army officers last month following Boko Haram attacks in which at least seven people were killed and the wife of the vice prime minister was kidnapped.

Reuters

Nigeria, Cameroon, Others Deploy 2,800 Troops Against Boko Haram

Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have agreed to quickly form a new force that would comprise 2,800 soldiers to fight against Boko Haram insurgents.
The defence ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger said they would contribute 700 troops each to
the force.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Niger’s Defence Minister, Karidio Mahamadou,
said they were determined to “eradicate this curse”.
Boko Haram’s insurgency is focused on Nigeria, but has carried out some cross-border raids.
The bridge which serves as a key transport link between north-eastern Nigeria and Cameroon in Gamboru Gala was blown off by men of the deadly sect.

According to residents, cars and lorries loaded with goods were stranded on the highway.
The regional defence ministers met in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, to hold further discussions on the growing threat posed by Boko Haram.
While the meeting was ongoing, the Islamist group unleashed terror on Kaduna, killing 70 people.

A former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) who was caught in the violent attacks narrowly
escaped death.
Efforts to step up regional co-operation gained momentum after Boko Haram caused an international outcry by abducting more than 200 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria.

The girls are said to be held in the vast Sambisa forest, along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.

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Boko Haram: Nigeria, Cameroon Hold Trans-Border Security Meeting

In an effort to stem security challenges, the second session of the Nigeria/Cameroon Trans-Border Security Committee meets in Abuja from July 8-11.

This information is contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Karounwi Adekunle, the Special Assistant, Media, to the National Security Adviser, NSA.
Mr. Adekunle said that the session was being organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Office of the NSA.
He said the session will be declared open by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
The spokesperson quoted the head of Nigerian delegation, Babatunde Samuel, as saying that “the purpose of the second session is to move the cooperation of both countries to the next level”.

He said this would be done by identifying ways and means of implementing security agreement.
“As brothers and neighbours, we agreed to overcome our differences and focus on shared beliefs and values -peace and security of lives and property.
“And to make positive difference to our kith and kin residing in the border areas of our countries and in the long run extend that peace and security to all citizens of Nigeria and Cameroon,” it said.

He explained that prior to the first session held in November 2013, in Yaounde, Cameroon, the presidents of the two countries resolved that there was need to deepen the bilateral relations existing between them.
Mr. Adekunle added that relations would be particularly in the area of security in order to further sustain the bond of friendship.

The border communities between Nigeria and Cameroon are some of the major bases and areas of operations of the Boko Haram insurgent group.
The sect members are known to attack Nigerian communities and flee to Cameroon, and neighbouring Niger and Chad, after the attack.

(NAN)

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Cameroon Kills 102 Boko Haram Fighters in One Week

As the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram continues its incessant attacks in Nigeria; Cameroon has successfully been resisting the sect in its territory.

Reuters reported on Sunday that Cameroonian troops killed two members of the sect on Saturday.

The number of the sect members killed barely within one week in Cameroon has increased to 102.

Cameroon had deployed 1,000 troops along its border with Nigeria after more than 200 girls were kidnapped by the sect at Chibok Borno State.

It had killed 40 members of the sect on May 31, 2014 shortly after two Italian priests and a Canadian nun were released in the town of Kousseri.

On Wednesday, Cameroon also killed 60 members of the Boko Haram in its territory 24 hours after the sect raided three villages of Danjara, Agapalwa and Antagara in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State killing more than 300 people.

According to the VOA, the 60 sect members were killed by Cameroonian troops in the villages of Dabanga in far northern Cameroon, when they crossed from over from Borno State, Nigeria.

The sect members were ambushed by Cameroonian soldiers the report said.

Fonka Awah, the governor of the far north region of Cameroon, said his office had received information that some Boko Haram members might be hiding in Cameroonian villages, and asked for specialized troops to be deployed.

“Of course yes, without mincing words, after such a situation you reassemble the forces and map out strategies, you galvanize them and put them back into action and I think that is what we have just done,” he had told the VOA.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that suspected Boko Haram militants from Nigeria attacked a town in Cameroon’s far north on Saturday but local security forces fought them off, killing at least two gunmen, Cameroon’s government said.

Cameroon deployed 1,000 troops to the far north and the attack in the Mayo Tsanaga Division in the Far North Region is the latest in a series of clashes between Cameroon security forces and the group.

Cameroon government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary said a raid was carried out early on Saturday morning by 50 well-armed gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram.

“Our defence and security forces fought back immediately. (They) killed two of the assailants, seized one of their vehicles and a Kalashnikov war weapon, forcing them to run back crossing the border into the Nigerian territory,” he said.

He did not say if any government troops were killed or wounded in the fighting.

Nigeria’s head of counter-terrorism said last month Cameroon was the weakest link in the regional fight against the group.

Before Cameroon deployed troops along its borders, the sect had been fleeing to the West African country after carrying out attacks in Nigeria.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram Bombs Bridge Linking Nigeria To Cameroon

The bombing and destruction of a small bridge linking Nigeria to Cameroon in Borno State has caused mass destruction and confusion. The bombing occurred on the outskirts of Gamboru Ngala, site of a Monday Boko Haram attack that claimed the lives of over 300 village residents.

At least 30 people were said to have been killed during the late Thursday afternoon bombing incident. The bridge links the immigration check points of both Cameroon and Nigeria.
The bombing event took place on the same day of a mass burial in the town of Gamboru Ngala. A Boko Haram-led raid on Monday on the small village claimed the lives of over 300 residents, nearly ten per cent of the population.

It was reported that 315 people of the 336 who died in the Monday attack were buried in a solemn ceremony led by civic and religious leaders. 
Boko Haram is yet to claim responsibility for this latest bombing attack, but residents of Gamboru Ngala said there is deep suspicion that the Islamist group is behind this latest attack in this vulnerable area.

Since the Monday attacks many of the local Gamboru Ngala youth have joined an anti-Islamist vigilante force in the smoldering village. It was created and scores of young people are helping Nigerian military forces in the area.

Source:
SR

How France Will Support Nigeria’s Anti-Terror War’

FRANCE intends to help Nigeria overcome terrorism and insurgency by amongst other measures, providing high-calibre intelligence reports leveraging on its special relationship with Nigeria’s French-speaking neighbours like Cameroon.

France sees terrorism largely as a regional problem, one that needs not just the collaboration of neighbours but also development partners.

The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagne de Labriolle, stated this in an interview with The Guardian at the weekend.

It is believed that the shared intelligence reports such that France is now offering, is largely responsible for the recent breakthrough by the Nigerian counter-terrorism team and the military joint task force in foiling bomb attack plans by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in parts of the North-East.

France has defence pact with her former colonies which surround Nigeria. Cameroun and Niger have lately been fingered by intelligence reports of harbouring some terrorist cells apart from the provision of what appears to be safe havens for insurgents who have been striking at both soft and hard targets in North-East of Nigeria.

Last month, during a visit to Nigeria, French President Francois Hollande pledged his country’s support in the war against terrorism and insurgency by extremist group Boko Haram as France’s way of defending democracy.

Hollande told delegates at a security summit in Abuja ahead of Nigeria’s unification centenary celebrations: “Your struggle is also our struggle.”

Although Labriolle fought stridently against exposing the nitty-gritty of the French support for strategic reasons, he stressed that the role intelligence reports sharing in the fight against terrorism can never be underestimated.

He said: “This is not a matter which is meant to be public. But it includes intelligence, intelligence sharing, strategic information and data. Things like these are not meant to be public as you can see; help is going on, you know in a very useful way which is also that we have good relations with the neighbouring countries and we can share views and bring assistance on what is going on.”

He added: “The regional dimension is what I believe is where we can help best. You were saying that the terrorists are coming from Cameroon. They are not coming from Cameroon, they are just coming and going very easily because the borders were not really secured. It is a matter of exchanges, legal and illegal that have gone on for decades that now have a consequence, that is very difficult to prevent people crossing the border which is the problem because security forces of one country cannot go after them in another country, this is not the state of international relations as we speak...”
On the collaborative nature the French involvement in the days ahead, he said: “Our ideal which is drawn from the lessons we learnt in the Sahel is that for a long time, terrorists have been hiding in neighbouring countries, sometimes having deep-rooted shelters and things like that, it is part of the action against terrorism to address this so we came to think that instead of just speaking of borders and trying to see that the specific line between two countries be not crossed, a deep analysis would now be put at the centre of the thinking that it’s a regional wide action that is needed, it’s a borderless region which is at stake with people from both side that may have problems that have to be addressed for terrorism to recede. I have said earlier that terrorism is also a consequence of a certain state of things in terms of economic, social and political development and this has to be addressed within the frame-work of inclusive strategies. That is something that we can help and as we have a good record working with the neighbouring countries, indeed we have been discussing with them and with Nigeria on how best is the way out of this crisis.”

Source:
Guardian Newspaper