Cameroon vigilantes risk lives to thwart Boko Haram
Yaounde - In the town of Fotokol on Cameroon's border with
Nigeria, civilian vigilantes are risking their lives keeping a
lookout for suicide bombers from the deadl our city from
Boko Haram kamikaze attacks," said Modo, a civilian hoping
to keep the volatile extreme north safe from Islamist fighters
across the border in neighbouring Nigeria.
Earlier this month, five people were killed and 10 hurt when a
woman blew herself up in the village chief's home as three
other suicide bombers were seen by vigilantes "heading
towards the centre of town".
Also read: At least four killed in twin suicide attacks in north
Cameroon
Seeing they had been detected they blew themselves up, but
there were no other victims.
The vigilantes, said regional governor Midjiyawa Bakari,
provide "substantial backup" on the intelligence front and
some are being equipped with metal detectors to help them
ward off fresh assaults.
In the attack-prone region, vigilante groups have been active
against the Boko Haram threat for more than a year, while
across the border in Nigeria civilians have long cooperated
with the army to curb attacks.
On November 9 for instance, a vigilante named Danna spotted
two apparent female suicide bombers in Fotokol, Modo said.
"He tried to neutralise one of them using his arms, but she
detonated the explosives she was wearing," killing Danna and
two other civilians, Modo told AFP by telephone.
But "thanks to him, the suicide attackers never got to the
market as planned."
The two girls had spent the night with a relative in the village
after travelling from the Nigerian city of Dikwa, around 70
kilometres (45 miles) from Fotokol.
The relative was a Nigerian who had fled to Cameroon to avoid
the trouble at home.
Bombs assembled in Nigeria
Security sources said that since 2012, Boko Haram has set up
a web of contacts in Cameroon enabling the extremist group to
nab Western hostages and set up a trafficking network dealing
in arms, vehicles and merchandise.
In 2014, Cameroon went into battle to crack the network but
has not managed to dismantle it. And ever since the
Cameroonian army joined a regional military alliance to fight
Boko Haram, the north has become a favoured target for the
Islamists.
Since July alone, Boko Haram has staged more than 16
suicide attacks in the region, leaving more than 100 people
dead.
The porous border enables attackers to travel easily into
Cameroon, where they can target gathering places such as
markets and mosques.
In general, the explosives kill in a radius of around 50 metres
(yards), said an officer from the rapid intervention battalion
(BIR) tasked with battling Boko Haram.
"We think the explosives are assembled in Nigeria, with
munitions seized during attacks on military bases," he said.
While in most cases the explosives were detonated by the
bombers themselves, some evidence suggests that vests on
child bombers may be set off remotely.
'We've become like soldiers'
The attackers usually go through a "very thorough
indoctrination process", the officer said, with some under the
influence of drugs.
"They're given Tramol (a numbing drug used to relieve pain in
several countries in the region), or cannabis before being sent
on missions."
The vigilantes often use bladed weapons, machetes, knives
and spears in a first line of defence against suicide attacks -- a
local shield of sorts.
"We've become like soldiers. We track Boko Haram," said a
vigilante in the village of Amchide, who asked not to be
identified, and who is part of a group of more than 200.
The group has arrested 50 suspected Islamists since
December last year after drawing up a list of more than 200
potential Boko Haram fighters.
But this makes them prime targets for Boko Haram. Four of
them were killed on November 13 in an attack on the village of
Assighassia, and two more were killed two days later near
Amchide.
- AFP
Nigeria, civilian vigilantes are risking their lives keeping a
lookout for suicide bombers from the deadl our city from
Boko Haram kamikaze attacks," said Modo, a civilian hoping
to keep the volatile extreme north safe from Islamist fighters
across the border in neighbouring Nigeria.
Earlier this month, five people were killed and 10 hurt when a
woman blew herself up in the village chief's home as three
other suicide bombers were seen by vigilantes "heading
towards the centre of town".
Also read: At least four killed in twin suicide attacks in north
Cameroon
Seeing they had been detected they blew themselves up, but
there were no other victims.
The vigilantes, said regional governor Midjiyawa Bakari,
provide "substantial backup" on the intelligence front and
some are being equipped with metal detectors to help them
ward off fresh assaults.
In the attack-prone region, vigilante groups have been active
against the Boko Haram threat for more than a year, while
across the border in Nigeria civilians have long cooperated
with the army to curb attacks.
On November 9 for instance, a vigilante named Danna spotted
two apparent female suicide bombers in Fotokol, Modo said.
"He tried to neutralise one of them using his arms, but she
detonated the explosives she was wearing," killing Danna and
two other civilians, Modo told AFP by telephone.
But "thanks to him, the suicide attackers never got to the
market as planned."
The two girls had spent the night with a relative in the village
after travelling from the Nigerian city of Dikwa, around 70
kilometres (45 miles) from Fotokol.
The relative was a Nigerian who had fled to Cameroon to avoid
the trouble at home.
Bombs assembled in Nigeria
Security sources said that since 2012, Boko Haram has set up
a web of contacts in Cameroon enabling the extremist group to
nab Western hostages and set up a trafficking network dealing
in arms, vehicles and merchandise.
In 2014, Cameroon went into battle to crack the network but
has not managed to dismantle it. And ever since the
Cameroonian army joined a regional military alliance to fight
Boko Haram, the north has become a favoured target for the
Islamists.
Since July alone, Boko Haram has staged more than 16
suicide attacks in the region, leaving more than 100 people
dead.
The porous border enables attackers to travel easily into
Cameroon, where they can target gathering places such as
markets and mosques.
In general, the explosives kill in a radius of around 50 metres
(yards), said an officer from the rapid intervention battalion
(BIR) tasked with battling Boko Haram.
"We think the explosives are assembled in Nigeria, with
munitions seized during attacks on military bases," he said.
While in most cases the explosives were detonated by the
bombers themselves, some evidence suggests that vests on
child bombers may be set off remotely.
'We've become like soldiers'
The attackers usually go through a "very thorough
indoctrination process", the officer said, with some under the
influence of drugs.
"They're given Tramol (a numbing drug used to relieve pain in
several countries in the region), or cannabis before being sent
on missions."
The vigilantes often use bladed weapons, machetes, knives
and spears in a first line of defence against suicide attacks -- a
local shield of sorts.
"We've become like soldiers. We track Boko Haram," said a
vigilante in the village of Amchide, who asked not to be
identified, and who is part of a group of more than 200.
The group has arrested 50 suspected Islamists since
December last year after drawing up a list of more than 200
potential Boko Haram fighters.
But this makes them prime targets for Boko Haram. Four of
them were killed on November 13 in an attack on the village of
Assighassia, and two more were killed two days later near
Amchide.
- AFP
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