FILE: Cameroon’s army forces patrol on Febuary 16, 2015 near the village of Mabass, northern Cameroon. Cameroon’s army announced on February 17, 2014 having killed 86 Boko Haram militants and detained 1,000 people suspected of links to the Islamist group.
Several security meetings are being held in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital following threats of terror attacks from Boko Haram.
Joseph Beti Assomo, Minister of Defence yesterday March 3, sent out a note to top ranking officials of the ministry including Jean Baptiste Bokam, Secretary of State in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Rene Claude Meka, Army Chief of Staff, among others, with instructions on how to prevent such an attack.
The defence minister’s message titled “terrorist attacks threat” outlined measures that should prevent any surprise attacks on the capital. The minister, in text number 00536/MP/MINDEF/01 ordered the reinforcement of security in strategic buildings, particularly that of the Ministry of Defence, located a few kilometers from the National Assembly building and the military headquarters.
Assomo also ordered the immediate sealing of the Northern entrance to the Defence Ministry which faces the French Embassy in Yaounde. He also requested the erection of speed breaks in front of the military hospital.
Going by the instructions, a copy of which The SOURCE stumbled upon, the minister’s orders included the deployment of foot soldiers and motorized troops for surveillance at ministerial buildings in the city center and places hosting public gatherings. He also urged all soldiers to improve their level of vigilance.
Another move which the minister suggested could avert any possible attack was that the army infiltrates a dreaded Muslim neighborhood in Yaounde known as Briqueterie.
Unconfirmed sources say there are 80 Boko Haram insurgents in Yaounde who have sent out threats that they are going to carry out attacks in a major city in Cameroon. Apart from Yaounde, The SOURCE could not confirm what is being done to avert possible attacks in Douala, the economic capital.
As we were about going to press, the publisher of L’Oeil du Sahel, a weekly publication based in Yaounde reported a Boko Haram/ Cameroon army shoot-out ongoing in Kerawa, Far North region, along the border with Nigeria. He said 3 insurgents have been killed in the attack.
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