Posted: 08/05/2015 at 8:04am
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Boko Haram attacks Intensify in Nigeria and Cameroon
NIGERIA (ANS. AUG. 4, 2015)
The radical Islamist group Boko Haram has intensified its suicide
bombing attacks in northern Nigeria and Cameroon in recent weeks.
According to a story by World Watch Monitor (WWM), on July 31, a
large bomb exploded in the market in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria -
the traditional heartland of Boko Haram violence. At least six people
died, and 11 were injured.
On July 25, 20 people were killed when a 12-year-old girl blew
herself up in a crowded bar in Maroua, northern Cameroon. Seventy-nine
others were injured.
However, on Aug. 2, the Nigerian military said it had rescued 178
people - including 101 children and 67 women - taken captive by Boko
Haram in the northern Nigerian state of Borno.
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon on July 29-30
in an attempt to boost the regional cooperation against the Islamist
group. It is the first time for several years that a Nigerian President
has visited Nigeria's eastern neighbor.
WWM said friction between the two countries, relating to a land
dispute, has arguably aided Boko Haram in its attempt to spread its
influence across the eastern Nigerian border.
Cameroon has for a long time been one of the weak links in the
fight against Boko Haram, with its northern regions becoming a safe
haven for militants.
But now, WWM reported, things appear to be changing. At least
Buhari has made some headline-grabbing moves to curb the Islamists'
insurgency, which has claimed 17,000 lives since 2009, according to
Amnesty International.
As northern Cameroon has become another battleground for Boko
Haram militants, there is a genuine need for the two leaders to restore
their relations, joining together to fight against a common enemy.
Buhari has also made recent trips to Niger, Chad and Benin. Between
them, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Benin have deployed 8,700 soldiers to
fight against Boko Haram.
Buhari's latest visit - to Cameroon - further enhances the region's
chances of fighting the terrorist group. Nigeria's presidential
spokesman told the BBC the newfound collaboration between West
African nations will enable soldiers to pursue Boko Haram across borders.
“All
the countries agreed this operation will not recognise international
boundaries - wherever terrorists are they will be chased to these
locations and they will be fought until they are finished,” WWM reported
Garba Shehu said.
The regional force, which has its headquarters in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, is due to be fully operational next month.
The name of its commander, General Iliya Abbah, was revealed during
Buhari's visit to Cameroon. Abbah was previously in charge of
operations in Nigeria's troubled southern region of Niger Delta.
Church overwhelmed
The upsurge in Boko Haram's attacks in northern Cameroon has caused widespread panic and distrust among the population.
“We live in great fear,” a local source, who did not wish to be named, told WWM.
“The recent attacks in Maroua have changed our way of living. It's
now extremely rare to find a crowd of people. Access to public services
and some places are subject to security checks by heavily armed security
forces, with metal detectors.”
The renewed attacks have also seriously affected churches, Rev.
Samuel Heteck, President of the Protestant Churches' Council in Northern
Cameroon, told WWM.
“We have observed a lack of concentration among some worshipers
during recent services as their ears remain attentive to any movement
outside,” he said. “The level of attendance has also fallen in various
churches. All our summer programs, such as youth camps, spiritual
retreats and evening film-projections have now been cancelled.”
The attacks have also revived fears of more abductions of foreign
nationals. All Westerners have been advised to leave the region
immediately.
A number of kidnappings targeting foreigners, including a Canadian
nun and two priests, have been carried out by Boko Haram in recent
months.
WWM said Boko Haram has been able to operate relatively freely in
the far north of Cameroon because the region is a vast semi-desert area
composed of three provinces (Adamawa, North and Far North) and bordering
Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic.
“Westerners had started to return to that region, thanks to the
apparent normality witnessed from January to the end of June,” WWM
reported Heteck said. “But this new wave of departures will lead
several planned projects to be aborted.”
The construction of a secondary school in Maroua, along with church
efforts for the re-settlement of IDPs and refugees, are among other
projects which will be affected, Heteck said.
For months, Cameroon's churches have been trying to contain the
influx of 60,000 Nigerian refugees and thousands of internally displaced
people (IDPs), who have found refuge in northern Cameroon. But churches
have now become overwhelmed, as World Watch Monitor reported in
September last year.
Enhanced security
WWM reported that a curfew was introduced on July 26, prohibiting
any personal or business meetings after 6pm. Places of worship have also
been subject to increased security surveillance by police and armed
forces equipped with metal detectors.
Itinerant Quranic schools have been banned throughout the region,
while an operation aimed at rounding up street children has been
launched by the authorities, who want to prevent the use of children as
potential suicide-bombers.
According to local media, a young boy was arrested on July 27 by police in possession of a bag containing explosives.
Cameroon's authorities have also followed Chad and Niger in banning
the burqa, after suicide attacks were carried out by women wearing the
Islamic gown.
On July 31, MPs in Chad voted back the death penalty for acts of
terrorism, six months after it was abolished, though human rights
activists fear it may be used to curb civil rights.
Photo captions: 1) Boko Haram killers. 2) Devastation after another Boko Haram attack.
Source: Assist News
Service
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