Some soldiers in Cameroon have killed eight men suspected to be members of Boko Haram who crossed the border in the guise of Nigerian refugees.
Unfortunately, some of the genuine refugees were also murdered during the encounter on Wednesday, October 8, 2014.
According to reports by Voice Of America, Haman Dandama, a resident of the Cameroonian border village of Amchide, said the shooting erupted when suspected Boko Haram members attacked a Cameroonian military jeep that was on regular patrol in a local refugee camp.
The source, Dandama confirmed the claims that Nigerian refugees, members of Boko Haram and Cameroonians were killed during the exchange of fire.
Furthermore, he added that not fewer than 8 corpses of the insurgents were interred in a desert area close by although the Cameroonian government authorities were yet to affirm that.
Consequently, a governor of Cameroon’s Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakari, blamed Boko Haram for the confrontation, adding that government troops have been sent to the location to restore tranquility.
“The situation is under control since the head of state sent several soldiers and many weapons on the site. Everybody is doing his job and there is no major problem to underline,” Bakari said.
Furthermore, the spokesperson for Cameroon’s military, Colonel Didier Badjeck assured that Nigerian refugees are safe. Notwithstanding this, he urged them to be on guard because the country was fighting unidentified enemies.
He said that since the Boko Haram insurgents drew the battle line, there has been serious insecurity along the border which divides Nigeria and Cameroon.
Also, Badjeck disclosed that the country’s army cannot be overpowered by the terrorists. He also said they were doing their best to see that the insurgents are eliminated adding that Nigerian refugees in Cameroon will continue to be taken good care of with extra caution. Cameroon’s military has since been deployed to the border to fight off the rebels.
It was learnt that there are currently over 40,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon who were mainly from the North eastern part of the country which the Boko Haram insurgents heavily dominated.
Also, it could be recalled that some weeks ago, Banki town in Northern Nigeria was overtaken by the Boko Haram insurgents and they have since been trying to invade Amchide which is across the border.
