Biya, Deby discuss war on Boko Haram

President Biya Thursday, May 22, hosted Chadian leader, Idriss Deby at the Unity Palace. The meeting of the two leaders harped on strategies to contain the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram which is reigning havoc in Nigeria and northern Cameroon.

The visit was not made public until state radio and television Wednesday in successive newscasts announced that President Biya would be hosting an important guest at his Etoudi Unity Palace.

Even though during a toast at the presidency, Biya highlighted other burning issues that may have provoked the state visit, he in the later part of his speech disclosed that the most preoccupying worry at the moment was security concerns.

"Even though we share many things in common and have many things to discuss, security in the sub region, including the crisis in Central African Republic and Boko Haram scare are the most preoccupying of the moment," Biya stated. While stressing on the need to identify a common strategy to bring to an end the activities of the terrorist group, Biya also used the forum to evoke what he called strong economic links between Cameroon and Chad especially through the Chad-Cameroon pipeline.

Corroborating his Cameroonian counterpart's view, Deby said Boko Haram was posing a veritable threat to peace in the continent. He sounded optimistic that Cameroon and Chad could possibly congregate efforts to completely exterminate the reigning mayhem of the group.

Deby refused to subscribe to the view by some opinion leaders that terrorism was part of Muslim training. "Terrorism has nothing in common with Islam. It is simply the bad fate of some individuals who use the name of Islam to justify their diabolic acts," Deby fired.

By the close of the meeting, the two leaders agreed to merge forces in their major push to clamp down on Boko Haram. They, however, did not discuss the technique that would be deployed to fight the terrorist group.

Biya had on May 17 in a meeting that brought together leaders of France, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger as well as representatives of Britain, the US and the European Union, openly declared war on Boko Haram. The Chadian leader was quick to concur.

Biya's statement came barely 24 hours after militants of the sect seized Waza Park in the Far North region, killing one soldier, kidnapping as many as ten workers of Chinese nationality working on a road project linking Dabanga in the Logone et Chari division and Mora in the Mayo Sava division.