56 killed in latest Boko Haram attack

Cameroon loses six soldiers and kills 50 militants in latest Boko Haram attack in the Far North.

The military killed at least 50 Boko Haram insurgents during a terrorist attack in the northern town of Fotokol on Wednesday, the minister of communication Issa Tchiroma said.

Troops pushed back the attack after “heavy” fighting but lost six men, the minister said.

It showed the growing frequency and scale of Boko Haram attacks on Cameroon in spite of the presence of over 2,500 Chadian troops now fighting alongside Cameroon.

Wednesday’s attack targeted military positions at the border town that pokes into Nigeria, even though there were unconfirmed reports of insurgents slaughtering dozens of civilians in their homes and in mosques.

Troops seized an unspecified number of warfare equipment, said Tchiroma. It came a day before experts began meeting in Yaounde to iron out the rules of engagement ahead of the deployment of a 1,700-strong multinational force sponsored by the African Union.

Several African countries have already pledged to send troops, though Chad remains the only foreign country with boots on the ground inside Cameroon following a call from Cameroon for international support.

Western countries like the USA, Russia, China, Belgium are either providing or have promised logistics, training, weapons or cash.

Cameroon already has more than 7,000 men on the battlefront but the rugged and vast expanses of uninhabited terrain of the Far North makes the long border difficult for police even in the best of times.

Boko Haram has responded to the arrival of 2,500 Chadian troops with more vicious attacks. Wednesday’s attacks was an indication that the Islamist group, which wants to carve out an Islamic territory to enforce Sharia law along the Cameroon-Nigeria border, is not deterred by the prospects of many more troops to come.

Recent attacks have lefts parts of the north completely cutoff from the rest of the country. The northern city of Kouserri is now unreachable by the lone road that passes through the highly risky Waza strip.

The last record of transport trip buses made was in November, according to residents of Maroua, the regional capital.

Cameroon has however been able to manage all Boko Haram attacks so far.