Cameroon to Send 2,500 Soldiers for Regional Boko Haram Force

 

The Cameroonian government has said it would send nearly 2,500 soldiers to join a west African regional force to fight against the Boko Haram sect, that will number 8,700 men, the defence minister said Friday.

 

Nigeria’s neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger, who have all suffered attacks by Boko Haram, launched the force earlier this year to end a conflict that has claimed more than 15,000 lives since 2009.

 

The group has now widened its attacks from Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north to across the country and staged cross-border killings and raids in neighbouring countries.

 

“The president of Cameroon has authorised the deployment of 2,450 soldiers to join the multinational force,” said Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, in a statement read out on national radio.

 

Boko Haram has stepped up raids on Cameroon recently staging bombings, killings and burning homes before fleeing across the border to Nigeria.

 

The multinational force is headquartered in the Chadian capital Ndjamena and is expected to deploy imminently.

 

Benin, which also neighbors Nigeria, has pledged 800 soldiers for the force.