Cameroon is denying reports that its soldiers have killed
dozens of civilians in cross-border raids pursuing Boko Haram extremists into
Nigeria — the third such report from Nigerian villagers in two months.
Cameroon’s Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary
on Friday dismissed a AP report, saying Cameroonian troops were working “in
perfect synergy” with Nigerian armed forces and have been trained to avoid
human rights abuses.
Bakary said suicide attacks in northern Cameroon blamed
on Boko Haram have killed 57 people and injured 70 since January 13.
The Nigerian-based extremists frequently stage attacks in
Cameroon, which is contributing to a regional force to wipe them out.
On Monday, four suicide bombers killed 35 people in the
border town of Bodo. In response, Cameroon said its soldiers crossed into
Nigeria and killed 17 insurgents.
On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that at least
40 civilians were killed in cross-border operations, quoting the deputy
commander of a Nigerian civilian defense group who said he spoke to villagers
in the Gwadale border community in northeast Nigeria. The deputy commander,
Muhammad Abba, said Cameroonians arriving Monday “began to shoot sporadically.”
Abba said his information came from relatives still trapped along the border.
Abba also quoted villagers who said Cameroonian troops on
January 18 fired rocket-propelled grenades indiscriminately that killed a
family of four in Nigeria, then shot and killed two elderly men.
The first account of alleged atrocities came from
Nigerian refugees who said Cameroonian soldiers on Nov. 30 killed about 150
people, stole cattle and razed entire villages along a 150-kilometer (95-mile)
stretch of the border. It came days after diplomats said Nigeria refused
requests from neighboring states to evacuate civilians and create a no-go zone
along the border.
The White House said in October it would send up to 300
U.S. troops to Cameroon to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance in the fight against Boko Haram.
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