Boko Haram kills 3 villagers in northern Cameroon

By Peter Kum

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

Boko Haram militants have killed at least three villagers in an attack in Cameroon's Far North Region, a military official told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

The attack occurred on Sunday night in village near the Nigerian border, Gen. Bouba Dobekreo, commander of a joint military operation, said.

He said the victims were aged 35, 50 and 55.

"Their identity cards, mobile phones and seven motorcycles were taken away by the attackers," Dobekreo added.

Cameroon’s defense ministry recently said there had been an increase in Boko Haram attacks in the country since September. It estimated more than 20 civilians have been killed between September and November.

Alfred Fuller, a former Cameroonian colonel, told Anadolu Agency: "The claim that Boko Haram has been defeated is not true.

“The group has only changed strategy and position. Many … lieutenants have moved from Nigeria's Sambisa forest to settle around the lake which troops cannot easily access."

Boko Haram attacks have killed nearly 2,500 Cameroonians between 2014 and 2017, according to the country’s defense ministry.

The UN Refugee Agency estimates approximately 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence, and more than 2.6 million displaced.