In Loving Memory of the late Lt. Colonel Kwene Beltus

The war against the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram has lasted three years and more. To be sure, it has caused casualties both civilian and military. The most painful being the heavy loss suffered by the Cameroonian army recently. Lt. Col. KWENE Ekwele Beltus and Captain Yari Emmanuel are now part of the memorable war victims.

The death of Lt. Colonel Beltus ocurred on Sunday, February 14, 2016, after he and his men carried out a successful operation in the Ngoshe locality in Nigeria, which is one of Boko Haram's stronghold. The last military operation of the great Lt. Colonel Ekwele Beltus saw the released of many Nigerian hostages held by Boko Haram.

He personally headed a mission that secured the Nigerians and accompanied them to the town of Pulka, where he and his men handed the hostages over to the Nigerian soldiers operating in the area. Lt. Col. KWENE Ekwele Beltus was seriously injured along with four of his staff as they were returning home.The vehicle they were in got hit by a mine laid by Boko Haram. We of this publication gathered from our military informant that the rescue helicopter mission from Maroua arrived very late and our Lt. Colonel died during the evacuation process to Douala.

Lieutenant Colonel KWENE Ekwele Beltus was 39 years old at the time of his death. He had just been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and his epaullete had been handed to him on 1 January 2016 at a ceremony chaired by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, at Kidji a town situated at Matari in the Far North region.

He was a renowned officer with remarkable strength of character. He was known not only for his bravery and courage, but also for its pragmatic sense and taste of the dialogue, pedagogy and communication. His perfect bilingual nature made him a likeable personality within the Cameroon army.

Lieutenant-Colonel KWENE Ekwele Beltus will be remembered as an artillery officer steeped in experience of field operations in which he always shown a great tactical consistency, as evidenced by his commitment in the southern area of the Alpha transaction where he participated in several epic battles and repealed successful several criminal attacks from Boko Haram.

Rest in peace Mon Colonel