According to the Cameroonian government, two separate suicide bomb attacks in Maroua, the capital of Cameroon’s Far Northern Region, have killed at least 50 people, while leaving at least 32 others seriously injured. Regional Governor Midjiyawa Bakari of the Far North Region said that one of the girls – who were both under 15-years old – attacked a central market, as the other struck the adjoining Hausa neighbourhood. A source close to the government said the two girls were pretending to beg before blowing themselves up at around 3pm local time.
Wednesday’s attacks were the furthest south that Cameroon has been struck since it deployed thousands of troops to the region to combat Boko Haram in Nigeria. The Cameroonian army uses the town of Maroua as the headquarters for its operations against the group, as part of a multinational force battling the militants in neighbouring parts of Nigeria. This attack, therefore, is in defiance of Cameroon’s military presence and efforts in the region.
While extending his heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families, the President of Cameroon, His Excellency President Paul Biya has described the attacks as “cowardly and ignoble”. In effect, the authorities have now extended a ban on wearing burkas to include the commercial capital Douala, and the West region. Previously the ban had only been in place in the country’s Far North region, after two suicide bomb attacks there earlier this month. This is because the militants have increasingly been using female suicide bombers as they are often able to smuggle bombs into public places without detection. A case in point is the July 12th incident where two female suicide bombers attacked the bordering town of Fotokol, killing 10 civilians and a soldier from neighbouring Chad.
Worthy of note is the fact that no one as of now has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on the countries bordering its northeast Nigerian stronghold – Chad, Niger as well as Cameroon. All three have contributed troops to a regional offensive against the Islamist militants who have allied themselves to Islamic State and pose one of the biggest security threats in the combustible region.
Boko Haram and other militants in the region still remain a threat despite fading attention, gains by the Nigerian government and those of the neighbouring states. With the leadership of the group still intact, Boko Haram may continue to possess the acumen to replenish, regroup, and rearm both within and outside of Nigeria’s borders. Then there is also the argument that until factors like poverty, unemployment and lack of education can be addressed, local populations will remain vulnerable to extremist ideology. It is imperative to note that the solution to extremist groups and their ideologies is to remove the vulnerability factor which afflicts most of its victims.
The solution to Boko Haram and other extremist groups cannot be solely military. If affected nations face internal issues which divides it, these issues must be addressed in order to present a strong and united front. The leadership of some countries, when confronted with a national crisis, should put their differences aside and tackle it together.
