Tuesday, 12 July 2016

Boko Haram is still very alive and dreadful



IssaTchiroma, Communication Minister
Below is the Mincom’s introductory remarks at a recent press conference in Y’de
Distinguished Journalists,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish you all a warm welcome and thank you for honoring my invitation to take part in this exchange on the security situation in the Far-North region of our country.
                As a matter of fact, on Wednesday, June 29 2016 at around 9.30 p.m., in the Djakana village in the Mayo-Sava Division, a young suicide bomber of about 25 years, activated his explosive device among a group of youths who were gathered in a local video club.
                Taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the suicide bomber inside the premises of an entertainment spot, the youths present at the scene of the event were given no time to anticipate the macabre plan of their attackers and foil it before the explosive could be activated.
The toll of this attack stands at 11 civilians killed in addition to the suicide-bomber and three injured.
                Two of the injured were rushed to the Mora District Hospital and the other one transported to the Maroua Regional Hospital.
On that same night of June 29, 2016, about fifty Boko Haram terrorists attacked a command post of the Multinational Joint task Force at Homeka, between the localities of Bonderi and Limani.
                In the course of this attack, a Cameroonian soldier was wounded on the shoulder and rushed to the Maroua Regional Hospital. His health condition is not critical. According to a military source, the assessment which is still underway, reveals that the enemy side has incurred heavy losses.

It should be underscored that the Djakana attack comes in at a time when the security apparatus set up at the level of the Defence Forces and the vigilante committees is yielding concrete results as evidenced by the reduced rate of attacks from the enemies.
                Since February 2016, the Cameroonian Special Defence Forces operating under the banner of the Multinational Joint Task Force, working in perfect synergy, each time that was necessary, with the Nigerian army, led a number of wide-range sweep operations on either sides of the border with Nigeria.
As it is, eight instances of such operations have been carried out. Their aim was basically to destroy the network of terrorists based in Nigeria, and dismantle the fall back areas of the attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram on our territory.
                The balance sheet of these operations, which the Government has always brought to the knowledge of the general public, is highly positive with hundreds of terrorists neutralized, weapons of various calibers seized, hundreds of hostages released and, most importantly, tens of laboratories for the manufacturing of explosive devices destroyed.
                At the strategic level, it should be noted that the operations dubbed "Arrow" has inflicted a heavy blow to the terrorists, completely annihilating their stronghold and pushing them to flee towards the Far-northern part of Nigeria, as evidenced by the attacks reported at Bosso and its surroundings in Niger.
In this context, the suicide attack at Djakana and the attack against the Homeka command post refresh our memory that even though the enemy may be dying, he can still have the capacity to harm.
                In this regard, our Defence Forces are well equipped to adapt and make a strategic appraisal of the situation and to devise other measures that account for the situation on the field of operations.
                Allow me to hereby announce that as we speak, a major maneuver is being carried out by the Sector No. 1 of the Multinational Joint Task Force under the command of Cameroonian-born Brigadier BoubaDobekreo in which 2,500 Cameroonian soldiers are involved.
                As a matter of fact, for a dozen of days now, the Sector No. 1 of the Multinational Joint Task Force has been carrying out at Makari and its surroundings, a sweep operation whose ultimate goal is to reconquer the Nigerian territories hitherto occupied by Boko Haram.
Several villages have been freed while the Nigerian Forces are progressing from inside their territory towards the western hemisphere heading to the joint borders of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
                Let me also recall here that the Cameroonian Defence and Security Forces, under the high leadership of the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, head on to safeguard the territorial integrity of our country in their areas of responsibility.
                The strengthening of their operational capacity coupled with their sense of patriotism, their commitment to the entire nation and their professionalism, are on the verge of taking the lead over evil and obscurantism as embodied by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
                This is once again the opportunity to hail the courage, determination and efficiency of our Defence and Security Forces, backed by the brave vigilante committees that have been working together with administrative authorities to track and root out these notorious criminals wherever they may be hiding.
However, even if the enemy is now in agony, this war is not yet over. And our people should be aware of this reality in order to always remain more than ever vigilant by closely working with the actors of the organized forces on the field, notably administrative authorities, defense and security forces and vigilante committees.
                For, we should not forget that we are involved in an asymmetrical war where the military advantage that we have imposed on the enemy never totally spares us from cowardice acts of terrorists who are always advancing with hidden faces and acting by surprise.
                Thank you for your kind attention


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