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UN says over 300 child soldiers have been freed in South Sudan

8, February 2018

UN says over 300 child soldiers have been freed in South Sudan 0

The United Nations says over 300 child soldiers have been released by armed groups in war-ravaged South Sudan under a scheme to help reintegrate them into society.

According to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), at least 311 children, 87 of them girls, were released by armed groups on Wednesday in Yambio, which is located in the south of the country.

David Shearer, the UN secretary general’s special representative and head of UNMISS, said in a statement that the children would soon begin reintegrating into their communities and learning new skills to support themselves. “This is the first time so many young women have been involved in a release like this in South Sudan,” the statement read.

“They will have endured suffering, including sexual abuse. It is vital that they receive the support they need to rejoin their communities and that they are welcomed home by family and friends without any sense of stigma.”

“Children should not be carrying guns and killing each other. They should be playing, learning, having fun with friends, protected and cherished by the adults around them,” Shearer said.

The integration program in Yambio is aimed at helping 700 child soldiers return to normal life. Of these, 563 are part of President Salva Kiir’s force and 137 are with rebels.

The UN peacekeeping force, acting in unison with the UN children’s agency UNICEF, is negotiating the release of child soldiers in other regions of the country.

“This is a crucial step in achieving our ultimate goal of having all of the thousands of children still in the ranks of armed groups reunited with their families,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “It is the largest release of children in nearly three years and it is vital that negotiations continue so there are many more days like this.”

Women from more than 40 South Sudanese women’s organizations carry placards during a march through the city to express frustration and suffering that women and children face in Juba, South Sudan, December 9, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

 

Civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, just two years after the country became independent, when disagreements between President Kiir and then Vice President Riek Machar turned into an armed conflict between their loyalists. While fighting generally subsided early last year, clashes once again intensified in July 2016.

Tens of thousands of people have died and more than four million people have been driven from their homes, while millions of others are suffering from hunger in a humanitarian crisis expected to worsen as the lean season sets in.

The UN and international rights groups have on numerous occasions accused both Machar’s loyalists and government troops of committing atrocities during their military operations.

 

Source: Presstv


Ambazonia Crisis: The UN Situation Report

8, February 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: The UN Situation Report 0

Situational Context

Tensions continue to heighten in southern Cameroon’s English speaking regions following the recent deportation of 47 asylum seekers including leaders of the pro-independence movement by Nigeria. According to the new arrivals, the Government in Yaoundé has also reinforced its military presence with deployment of troops, imposition of curfew and restrictions on travel by Anglophone Cameroonians.

These developments continue to trigger population movements toward Nigeria in search of safety and international protection. Government security forces have been repeatedly accused of killing civilians while the secessionists are also accused of complicity in the deaths of more than 10 security personnel since the unilateral declaration of independence on October 1, 2017.

The interim leadership of the pro-independence group has asked the government of President Paul Biya to allow international human rights organisations access to their leaders and members of their community who were deported to Cameroon by Nigeria to prove that they are still alive. The government said the detainees were currently undergoing interrogation and their lawyers would have access to them after the process.

New Arrivals

More Cameroonians are arriving at Danare in Boki, Cross River State and Gembu, Taraba State. However, some of the new arrivals are reluctant to be interviewed and registered on grounds that they fear being deported to Cameroon by Nigeria. Other asylum seekers already registered are requesting UNHCR to relocate them to a third country for fear of being returned to Cameroon against their will.

The latest batch of arrivals is mainly from Cameroon’s Kwa-Kwa Mbonge Sub Division in the South-Western Region. Residents fled their homes following clashes between security forces and separatists in the area and accused the military of excesses including arson attacks on their homes.

 

Source: UN


Southern Cameroons Crisis: Nigerian Senate Summons Defence Minister

8, February 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Nigerian Senate Summons Defence Minister 0

The Minister of Defence, Brigadier–General Mansur Dan–Ali (rtd) has been summoned by the Senate to explain why and how Cameroonian soldiers were able to invade Nigerian territories, arrest and cart away some Nigerians.

In issuing the summons, the upper legislative chamber also urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema to “urgently liaise with his Cameroonian counterpart to secure the release of innocent Nigerians arrested by the Cameroon soldiers.

The Parliament also called for increased military presence in the Nigeria-Cameroon border, asking for intensified patrol within the area to prevent further acts of trespass by the Cameroon soldiers into Nigeria.

Other resolutions by the Senate include calling on Nigeria and Cameroon to strengthen the capacity of Nigeria-Cameroon trans-border security committee aimed at addressing emerging trans-border security issues confronting the two countries and the need for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR to intensify ongoing efforts aimed at protecting the Cameroonian refugees and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement.

He lamented: “This is a calculated assault/offence from the Cameroonian military on Nigeria and on outright defiance of Nigeria territorial sovereignty, not minding the consequences of crossing the international boundary to carry out intimidations and harassment on the already alarmed citizens of Danare, with warnings of further assault.”

The Lawmaker also expressed worry that “the current situation being faced by both the refugees and host border communities if not tackled urgently may result in both an outbreak of epidemic and a serious humanitarian crisis and further escalate the already troubling security situation along these borders.”

He noted: “The current agitation for the independence of Southern Cameroon has caused influx of refugees to some border communities in Cross River State and over six thousand of the refugees are currently squatting at Obanliku, Boki, Etung and Ikom local government areas of the state.”

Senator Enoh informed that the UNHCR had on December 17, 2017 biometrically registered 10, 000 arrivals in remote areas of Nigeria’s Cross River State and indicated that thousands more are awaiting registration.

He also expressed concern that “most of the refugees are ill and lack basic needs while some are expectant mothers without medical care.”

He, however, stressed the need for the federal government to act fast with a view to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians within the border towns, saying: “Nigeria cannot pretend that there is no problem within our borders.”

Senator Sani, who expressed surprise at the audacity of the Cameroonian soldiers in trespassing to the Nigerian territory, called on the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS and other relevant continental bodies to wade into the crisis in Southern Cameroon before it gets worsened.

Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) in his contribution, said: “Though invasion by the foreigners was bad, he however, cautioned that the National Assembly cannot intervene on the matter “because Cameroon is a sovereign nation”.

Senator Sam Egwu (PDP Ebonyi North) said Nigerian territorial integrity has been violated by the action of gendarmes, and therefore urged the senate to summon the Minister of Defence to interrogation about the activities of the gendarmes in Nigeria.

When the motion was put to voice vote, it was unanimously adopted.

Source: The Independent


Ambazonia Crisis: Hundreds Flee Bamenda County to Mbouda Amid Violence

7, February 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: Hundreds Flee Bamenda County to Mbouda Amid Violence 0

 Hundreds of people are fleeing Cameroon’s English-speaking towns following clashes between the military and gunmen believed to be armed separatists.
A dozen vehicles transporting at least 220 people from Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest region arrived in the French-speaking town of Mbouda Tuesday morning.

Among them is Donatien Fotso, a 55-year-old businessman. He says he, his wife and four children fled the town of Bamenda, after three consecutive days of heavy gunfire between the military and armed separatists.

He says Cameroon military has been invading their neighborhoods, shooting indiscriminately and arresting and torturing citizens. He says the torture and the killing inflicted on them has made the people so frightened that when they see a military vehicle, they start escaping.

Christopher Mbaingong, a 27-year-old farmer, says he left his village on the outskirts of Njinikom before the deadline because he had anticipated there would be bloody conflicts triggered by the heavy deployment of Cameroon’s military to English speaking towns and villages.

“I was afraid. I did not know what was actually the problem since we have a military that can not communicate,” he said. “The next day they should have told us what was happening, the gunshots was this or was that. So even today, I am afraid. I do not know what is going wrong.”

The tensions began mounting when Cameroon announced that separatist leader Ayuk Tabe Julius and 36 of his supporters had been arrested in Nigeria and transferred to Cameroon. They have not been seen in public since then, fueling speculation that they may have been killed.

Cameroon government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma said in a statement that all 37 are still alive, but the announcement did not calm their angry supporters.

Cameroon says seven villages have been burned and at least 20 people, including soldiers and separatists have been killed in the ongoing violence.

The unrest in Cameroon began in November 2016, when English-speaking teachers and lawyers in the Northwest and Southwest regions, frustrated with having to work in French, took to the streets calling for reforms and greater autonomy.

The situation degenerated with separatist calls for independence and the rise of an armed separatist movement, prompting a crackdown of the military.

Source: VOA



Ambazoniagate: African Bar Association says there are speculations that the abductees are still being held by the Nigerian government at the behest of the Biya dictatorship

7, February 2018

Ambazoniagate: African Bar Association says there are speculations that the abductees are still being held by the Nigerian government at the behest of the Biya dictatorship 0

The African Bar Association (AFBA) has accused Nigeria of detaining some Cameroonian refugees without trial. The association stated this in its resolution in Calabar.

It said: “The abduction and continued illegal detention of Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe and other Cameroonian refugees by the Nigerian security agents and their counterparts in Cameroon was wrong.”

“More worrisome is that some of the abductees are practicing lawyers and members of the AFBA.

The statement added: “Despite our demands for explanation and the immediate release of these individuals, the circumstances surrounding their arrest and their whereabouts remains unknown. This has led to several speculations.

“We have received reports that these persons have either been transferred or extradited to Cameroon or secretly executed.

“The reports added that some are still languishing in the custody of the government of Cameroon awaiting trial in a military court.

“There are also speculations that the abductees are still being held by the Nigerian government at the behest of the Cameroon dictatorship.”

The association stressed that the abduction of these individuals and their detention in an undisclosed location is a “grave and violent violations of international laws, for which there are consequences for those responsible.”

The statement noted that the detention without charges or due process of law is a breach of the African Charter on Human Peoples Rights, the Charter of the United Nations and the constitutions of Nigeria and Cameroon.

 

Source: The Guardian


Oblivious of the ongoing ICC preliminary examination, Buhari’s agent admits abducting Ambazonian leaders; Endorses another genocide in the Gulf of Guinea

6, February 2018

Oblivious of the ongoing ICC preliminary examination, Buhari’s agent admits abducting Ambazonian leaders; Endorses another genocide in the Gulf of Guinea 0

The statement in the Vanguard captioned “Nigeria pledges support to Cameroon over secession threat” dated 6 February 2018 if true, is the first statement made on behalf of President Mohammadu Buhari and the Federal Government of Nigeria admitting responsibility for the abduction and rendition to French Cameroun of the President and members of the Interim Government of the Federal Repuiblic of Ambazonia since the 5th of January 2018. This statement has profound consequences for Nigeria, President Buhari and elements of his government complicit in these crimes.

In its historical perspective, more than fifty years, ago, Buhari was a participant in the genocide that claimed more than three million Biafran lives. His endorsement of the genocide and the ideological motivation for the genocide against Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia by French Cameroun through his National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguna may therefore not be surprising.

Since President Buhari came to power, he has selectively activated his genocidal instincts to fulfill his political, ethnic and pecuniary interests.  While in the opposition to the government of President Good Luck Jonathan, he opposed the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram claiming then that it targeted the Northern Youth based on their ethnic and religious identity. With support from the circumstantially politically unreliable Yoruba politicians to the West, gullible corrupt political merchants in the South/South and in the Middle Belt he rode on his political Islamic support base of which Boko Haram is its militant vanguards to power.

Once in power he adopted an ambivalent policy towards the war against Boko Haram with whom he has maintained a clandestine fig leave of support while prosecuting the war against them. On occasion, he negotiated and released some members of Boko Haram and subtly deployed others in the guise of Fulani Herdsmen to kill and maim in the Middle belt, the East, South/South, Middle East and the West with impunity.  He has opposed dialogue with the Biafrans who unlike Boko Haram with whom he has been dialoguing, have not declared war against the Federation.  He has subverted the amnesty deal that Good Luck Jonathan negotiated with the Niger Delta militants and turned a blind eye to the systematic massacres of armless civilians in Bakassi and other frontier communities by Cameroun Gendarmes. In context therefore, the statement endorsing the genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Southern Cameroons by French Cameroons, does not come as a surprise.

The statement for the first time provides attempts to justify the unprecedented criminal act of abduction which is better associated with Boko Haram as intended to assist the government of French Cameroun to safeguard its territorial integrity.  The purpose for violating international law through an blatant act of international criminality to assist a genocidal reason committing international crimes which even France its colonial master has condemned places Nigeria as a conspirator in the crimes.  Prior to the admission, the Federal Government kept sealed lips and refused to acknowledge the abductions or admit orchestrating the crime.  With the admission of the crime and the endorsement and support of the genocide and international crimes against the Southern Cameroons/ Ambazonia, the Federal Government of Nigeria is the first government in the entire universe to admit its participation in the international violations and crimes against Ambazonia. Buhari has not demonstrated a Nigeria national interest need to justify commission of the crimes Nigeria has admitted to committing or to justify its support and complicity in the crimes perpetrated against Southern Cameroons. The Buhari administration has joined the crime cartel abducting and slaughtering hundreds of thousands of Southern Cameroons civilians for purely pecuniary interests. This is tantamount to sourcing for money through criminal means to finance his reelection efforts and that of his Vice President. The Boko Haram approach to accessing international crimes cartels like the government of French Cameroun to source and launder money to safeguard its threatened hold on power espouses the hypocrisy of his commitment to fight corruption in Nigeria.

With this admission, President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and the National Security Adviser Babagama Monguna hence bear individual criminal responsibility for the crimes of abduction, money laundering and complicity in the international crimes perpetrated against the Southern Cameroons. By relying on Babagama Monguna, the foot soldier that he and his Vice President relied on to conduct the entire operation including the negotiation and concealment of the colossal amounts paid for the criminal operation, Mr Buhari intended to keep the operation and its proceeds within his inner circle.

The alleged statement of Babagama Monguna places President Buhari and some of his close associates at the centre of the planning and execution of the crime. The fact that Buhari delegated Babagana Monguno, the alleged mastermind of the operation to deliver this statement on his behalf and not a cabinet member or a plenipotentiary member of the diplomatic corps is significant in some ways. It raises critical questions about the state of cohesion within the government of Nigeria on the matter and the possible frictions between the co-conspiring members of the crime cartel involved in the criminal enterprise in both government of Nigeria and French Cameroun.

It appears embarrassing and even surprising for the President of Nigeria to be represented in a supposed bilateral security meeting supposedly held in Nigeria by a national security adviser and not a cabinet level representative. It is doubtful that statements made by the national adviser can have the force of a binding international commitment on behalf of the people of Nigeria.  In his capacity as a corrupt mastermind of the abduction, the national security adviser might have deliver a message on his on his own behalf and that of the President as the General Overseer of the criminal operation.  There would be no constitutional basis in a genuine democracy for such a delegation of authority to a security operative to make commitments of an international nature with profound international, legal and diplomatic consequences. Diplomatic practice requires that such commitments can only be made by mandate holders recognized as such in international law.

That this individual represented the Federation or was mandated to deliver these statements to supposed delegates and representatives of French Cameroun in a supposed security meeting held in Nigeria carries with it serious diplomatic ramifications. This appeared to have been an open manifestation of a chaotic management of a criminal deal which exploded in the market place of international and national scrutiny.  This appears to have foreshadowed the nervousness, confusion and disagreement within a government    totally embarrassed by the international outcry over the criminal violations of international law by Nigeria and the exposure of the underlying corruption surrounding the violations.

There are reasons why persons involved in this crime, no matter their status will be held responsible for their role in these international crimes. The international focus on Nigeria and French Cameroun by several international judicial accountability mechanisms will force the crime cartels present in the governments of both countries to account for their crimes. The moment is soon coming when they will know the clear limits to impunity, reckless corruption and abuse of political power.                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Cameroon Concord News has critically examined the impugned statement.  Apart from being a statement endorsing the genocide against Federation of Ambazonia and admitting that Nigerian security operatives on his orders committed the crime of  abduction,  it’s contains no comprehensive information  relating to the exact whereabouts of His Excellency Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government of Ambazonia.  Cameroon Concord News News critically observes that the unspecified cooperation basis for which Nigeria committed this crime appears to be but a mere euphemism for the unprecedented corruption that informed the criminal conduct of President Buhari, his Vice President, his National Security Adviser and his close associates. The deployment of his security adviser and not the Vice President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General of the Federal or a Cabinet level Minister, to make statements of a legal and diplomatic nature on behalf of the President to representatives of an alien sovereign evokes the possibility of serious disagreement within the Buhari government about the legality and secretive nature of the abductions and high level corruption involved in the operation.  The violations of national and international law with profound consequences may also have alarmed many members of government who might not have been aware of the criminal corrupt deal but are required by the beneficiaries to deal with the consequences.

Babagana Munguno’s statement is an admission on behalf of President Buhari that Nigeria abducted Southern Cameroons leaders who were legally in Nigeria under the protection of International law. Statements by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United States State Department alleging and condemning the violations of international law by Nigeria signifies that the consequences for this violation will follow. The statement admitting the abductions and the endorsement of international violations committed against the Southern Cameroons, the support to French Cameroun to realize it’s stated goals genocidal goals of preserving the unity of its territory through criminal means; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes bring Nigeria and French Cameroun within the radar of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which fortunately has been conducting a preliminary examination in Nigeria since the 18 November 2010. The Babagana Monguno admission brings into focus following crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court where Nigeria is a state party:  Genocide (article 6), Crime Against Humanity Article 7 (e) Imprisonment or other deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law. 7(i) Enforced disappearance of persons, Article 7(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to body or to mental and physical health. Article 8 (vii) Unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement.

Although French Cameroun signed but did not ratify the Rome Statute, the officially announced participation of Nigeria in these crimes must be considered within the context of the ongoing preliminary examination in Nigeria targeting the Nigerian Military and Security Agencies which the security operatives who participated in these international violations form part.  Through its admitted criminal conduct, Nigeria may have provided the required jurisdictional basis for the ICC to examine the crimes committed by French Cameroon against Southern Cameroon/Ambazonia in which Nigeria is an admitted and willing participant.  In this regard therefore, members of the Nigeria government who participated in perpetration of these crimes and the violation of international law cannot and will not hide behind the shield of national security or sovereignty to conceal their participation is crimes that have shock the conscience of humanity.

If the criminals who have violated international law and perpetrated these crimes are not held to account for their crimes, then the protection afforded humanity by international law will be held in contempt and the abduction and trade in human beings to satisfy the corrupt pecuniary interests of corrupt power merchants will encourage impunity.  Nigeria must not be allowed to become a laboratory for whitewashing Boko Haram criminal tactics and deploying them to security operations in total disregard the international rule of law.

For these reasons, Cameroon Concord News Group strongly holds that the responsibility to produce and free the President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and members of his government lies with Nigeria. Whether they are in French Cameroun or still held in Nigeria as it may well be the case, they are held at the pleasure of the Federal Government of Nigeria.  Nigeria must be held accountable for whatever happens to them.  Cameroon Concord News Group strongly urges the ICC which has been conducting a preliminary examination in Nigeria since 2010 to exercise its jurisdiction on the crimes of the abduction of the Southern Cameroons leaders who were legally in Nigeria under the protection of International law. The crime in which they were abducted and disappeared falls within the jurisdiction of the ICC. Cameroon Concord News Group strongly urges international human rights organizations, Ambazonians the world over and Nigerian of good will to submit petitions to the ICC to extend its ongoing preliminary examination in Nigeria to cover this crime of abduction and complicity in the international crimes coming within the statute of the ICC committed against Southern Cameroons/ Ambazonia.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group


US condemns violence in Southern Cameroons, Cautions Nigeria, Cameroon to obey international law

6, February 2018

US condemns violence in Southern Cameroons, Cautions Nigeria, Cameroon to obey international law 0

The United States (U.S.) has condemned the attitude of Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities towards the 47 Anglophone detainees who were repatriated to Cameroon from Nigeria. A statement by the U.S. Department of State, signed by Ms Heather Nauert, the Department Spokesperson noted that Nigeria and Cameroon have violated the rights of the detainees by forcibly repatriating them back to their countries of origin. It however, urged both countries to respect the human rights of the detainees and follow due process in handling their matter, while urging them to refrain from embarking on forceful repatriation of asylum-seekers.

“We also call on the Government of Cameroon to respect the human rights, including due process, of the 47 Cameroonians forcibly returned from Nigerian custody to the Cameroonian authorities on Jan. 26. “This is in addition to many of whom had reportedly submitted asylum claims in Nigeria. “We urge the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria to adhere to their obligations under international law to refrain from forcible returns to asylum-seekers back to their countries of origin.

“The 47 Cameroonians are now held in detention in Cameroon allegedly in connection with tension and violence in North West and South West Regions. “We expect the government of Cameroon to afford these and other individuals previously detained all the rights and protections enshrined in Cameroon’s constitution, consistent with the nation’s international obligations and commitments.”

The U.S. condemned the ongoing violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, including the murder of two Cameroonian gendarmes in the North West Region village of Mbingo. It also condemned the murder of a Cameroonian soldier outside of Bamenda on Feb. 1, and an electoral official of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) in Bangem. The U.S. further condemned the reported deaths of four civilians in Bemenda and Belo on Feb. 2 and 3. “We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people of Cameroon,” it said.

www.vanguardngr.com


Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon, Nigeria despite ‘defeated’ claims

6, February 2018

Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon, Nigeria despite ‘defeated’ claims 0

Boko Haram fighters stormed a village in northeast Nigeria and murdered two civilians, while six people were killed in an attack in northern Cameroon, a local resident and security sources told AFP on Monday. The attacks came as Nigeria’s military again maintained the jihadists had been defeated, and that its repeated raids and suicide bombings were “a sign of weakness”.

At least 20,000 people have been killed in nearly nine years of violence and more than 2.6 million made homeless, triggering a humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad region. Bulama Bukar said Boko Haram fighters stormed his village, Alau-Kofa, about 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday, firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

“Two people were burnt alive and the whole village was burnt, along with our food,” he told AFP. Bukar, whose father was shot in the leg during the attack, said the jihadists “specifically came to steal our cattle” but were forced to abandon the herds when soldiers arrived.

“Last Wednesday they attacked the village, killed three people and took away 50 cattle. And now they came back,” he added.  A security source 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) away in the Borno state capital Maiduguri, confirmed Bukar’s account.

“It is part of the fightback strategy by the terrorists, who are facing mounting pressure from the military,” he said. Another security source in Cameroon said “six people were killed and the attackers burnt down more than 100 houses” in the village of Hitawa, at about 11:00 pm on Sunday.

Nigeria’s military said last week they had cleared the Sambisa Forest in Borno state of Boko Haram fighters — just over a year after making a similar claim. Major General Rogers Ibe Nicholas, leading operations against the jihadists, was reported as saying on Monday that the Islamic State affiliate was “completely defeated”.

Asked about the claim, he told AFP: “In the Sambisa Forest where we have them, we have completely defeated them.” The military was “taking them on wherever they go outside that area, he added. He attributed Sunday’s attack in Alau-Kofa to “criminals who came to steal goats”.

At a meeting with the military and security agencies in Maiduguri, Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed said: “The last phase of the war with Boko Haram is now on.

“The military is punching deep into the enclaves of the insurgents,” he said, adding that the group was only able to mount “cowardly attacks on soft targets”. “That, in itself, is a sign of weakness,” he added. There have been repeated assertions that military operations were in the final stages dating back even further to the previous administration.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari first claimed the jihadists were “technically defeated” in December 2015. But the security source warned against triumphalism, despite recent successes. “They have indeed been pushed out of Sambisa. They have relocated their camps to Dubur and Yuwe on the rear fringes of Sambisa.” Boko Haram’s capacity has been weakened since it controlled swathes of territory in northeast Nigeria in 2014 but it still poses a threat.

The BBC last month said the militants killed at least 967 people in 150 attacks in 2017, up from 910 deaths in 127 attacks the previous year. Civilians remain at risk, particularly in remote rural areas and even in more well-guarded camps for people displaced by the conflict.

This and a recent federal government request for an extra $1 billion for security funding have led to questions about the veracity of claims about the end of the conflict. Similarly, the military has been asked why it needs 12 Super Tucano A-29 ground aircraft from the United States if the militants are scattered and on the run.

The air force said last month the aircraft were required “to consolidate on successes recorded so far.” The security source said troops on the ground remained cautious about hunting down Boko Haram factional leader Abubakar Shekau, as he was using hostages as human shields.

They include some of the schoolgirls abducted from the Borno town of Chibok in April 2014 and female police officers seized in an ambush last year. “They don’t want to harm them, which is why they are limiting aerial offensives,” he added.

 

Source: Indian Express




Calls for Nigerian High Military Command to stop Biya’s gangsterism and lawlessness

5, February 2018

Calls for Nigerian High Military Command to stop Biya’s gangsterism and lawlessness 0

Camerounian soldiers, penultimate Monday, invaded a Nigerian community in Cross River State, the second time in two months, leaving in its wake tears and blood. According to reports, the soldiers shot sporadically in search of separatists, who fled from Cameroun into Danare Community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, apparently to take refuge.

The Tide recalls that the Camerounian soldiers last December invaded the same community, without authorisation and in the process, killed two residents of the community. The soldiers stormed the community, demanding the release of insurgents who took refuge there.

The Tide is worried that in spite of Nigeria’s sovereignty, Camerounian soldiers could brazenly invade Nigerian communities without any form of resistance from the country’s security architecture. Indeed, we frown at such incursions into Nigerian territory by Cameroun gendarmes without following due process or exploring administrative and diplomatic channels.

Such invasions do not only constitute a violation of international law and conventions, they also tantamount to flagrant breach of the country’s sovereignty and national security, and clearly pose a grave danger to the country’s citizens.

We strongly feel that this resort to gangsterism and lawlessness by our neighbours must be stopped by our military high command. We say so because there seems to be a deliberate policy by Cameroun to undermine and subvert Nigeria’s national security and territorial integrity. This, to say the least, constitutes a clear disrespect to the Nigerian Government.

Suffice it to say that such attacks and invasions are an insult to the collective sensibilities of Nigerians. It is even more worrisome when the country’s security agencies helplessly watch such oddities take place without a resistance.
Indeed, the recent invasion of Danare Community by Camerounian soldiers is one too many. The Tide thinks that Nigeria’s big brother posture towards her neighbours is being taken for granted, to the extent that smaller nations now exploit Nigeria’s good neighbourliness to unleash mayhem on Nigerians. This is unacceptable!
We, however, note that the primary responsibility of any responsible government is to protect the lives and property of the citizens. The Federal Government should live up to this responsibility and in fact, take practical steps to put an end to this reckless impunity by the Camerounian invaders.

Meanwhile, the frequent invasions of Nigerian communities by neighbouring countries call for overhaul or review of the country’s security system to ensure that nobody crosses the borders or buffer zones without authorisation.
We also feel that it is high time the Nigerian military upgraded its communication system to ensure quick intervention in case of emergencies.

To put an end to the sordid activities of these marauding foreign intruders, we suggest that the Federal Government must, without further delay, lodge an official complaint with the Camerounian authorities and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the sundry security breaches by Cameroun gendarmes. We believe that this is the only way to nip in the bud future occurrences.

Source: The Tide


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