Boko Haram: The Cameroon Connection

It has now dawned on President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon and his government that the Boko Haram terrorist group should never be pampered. On Sunday, at least 30 members of the sect launched an attack on a town in northern Cameroon, killing a soldier and abducting two others while the country’s soldiers said they killed six members of the sect.

Hitherto, the sect had been seen as a purely Nigerian problem even though there had been strong links of the leadership of the sect with Cameroon. This may have accounted for the lukewarm posture adopted by the country’s President despite efforts by Nigeria to secure a partnership with him in combating this dreaded group.

A local non-governmental organisation in Cameroon, Os-Civil Droits de l’Homme, while confirming the attack, did not give details of the number of casualties in the town but said soldiers blocked the attackers’ path and a firefight broke out.

Four days before the attack on Cameroon, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Labaran Maku, had complained that Nigeria’s inability to curtail the excesses of the sect stems from the fact that they group have a safe haven in the neighbouring country from where members sneak into Nigeria, launch their attacks and disappear.

It is believed that Chad and Niger, two other neighbouring countries with Nigeria, are ready to partner with Nigeria in what the latter regards as war against terrorism, but Cameroon had often maintained a posture of aloofness. Security experts had warned that Biya’s refusal to support the fight could frustrate Nigeria’s quest to end insecurity posed by Boko Haram as well as spell doom for Cameroon since the sect would entrench itself in that country.

It was discovered in 2011 that the sect planned their attacks on Nigeria from northern Cameroon which they also use as base for weapons. In February 2011, the police in Borno discovered a cache of arms which was being smuggled from Cameroon into Nigeria.

It is also noteworthy that many foot soldiers of the sect are from Cameroon. About two years ago, 36 aliens including Chadians and Cameroonians, were identified among those killed in a gun battle between police and suspected Boko Haram insurgents, while 43 Cameroonians, suspected of belonging to the group were expelled from Nigeria.

There were further security reports that prominent members of the Boko Haram, including Mohammad Nour and Mohamed Kahirou are Cameroonians who actually grew up in Douala and had returned to the country following a crackdown against the sect in Nigeria. The security reports warned that the sect members were visiting mosques, preaching and distributing materials just to lure citizens to join them

In January 2012, reports showed that the Northern town of Lagdo (southeast of Garoua) had become the new base for Boko Haram sect in Cameroon, and from here, members had been visiting villages setting up branches and doling out money to new members.

We are surprised that despite these warnings, Biya behaved like the Nigerian government, thinking it was no big deal even when Wikileaks, an international whistle-blowing outfit, had claimed that as far back as 2011, Biya had grumbled about the threat of Islamic extremists infiltrating Cameroon from Nigeria and making inroads through Cameroonian mosques.

Now that they have gained a foothold in that country, we hope Biya could still meet other heads of states and governments with a view to salvaging the situation. It is our belief that insurgency would continue to spread in Africa if heads of governments refuse to see it as a collective challenge that must be tackled and defeated. It is dangerous and very costly treating this serious security challenge with levity.