Tag Archives: cameroon

Civilians from Banki town, Nigeria were pursued by Boko Haram as they fled across the border into Cameroon. Cameroonian forces intercepted the Boko Haram fighters and made arrests.

A Cameroonian security source said the government released a senior Boko Haram leader in exchange for French priest Georges Vandenbeusch. Seven people were killed in a clash between Cameroonian military and gunmen from the Central African Republic.

A French Catholic priest kidnapped by Boko Haram has been released. In a statement, French President Francois Hollande highlighted the “personal involvement” of his Cameroonian counterpart, President Paul Biya.

Nigeria is negotiating a security agreement that would allow its troops to cross into Cameroon if they are pursuing Boko Haram. A rapid response military unit has been deployed to the border with Nigeria, and border controls have been tightened.

A French priest was kidnapped by gunmen in Koza, near the Nigerian border. The suspected Boko Haram militants burst into the church, then marched the priest through the village and took him away with them on motorbikes in the direction of Nigeria.

Seven French citizens held hostage by Boko Haram militants were freed. The French government was involved in talks to secure their release, but denied paying a ransom. The militants had demanded the release of prisoners from jails in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Security authorities remain on high alert after the kidnapping of a French family in northern Cameroon last month. A local police chief near the site of the kidnapping said the Nigerian state of Borno, just across the river, “is dominated 100% by Boko Haram.”

French special forces arrived from their regional base at N’Djamena in Chad to assist with the investigation into the kidnapping of seven French tourists, all family members including four children, on Feb. 19. Of all the nations, France currently has the most citizens being held hostage, with a total of 15 in Africa.

Armed men on motorbikes kidnapped seven French tourists, including three children, from a village close to Waza national park near the Nigerian border. The kidnappers, suspected of links with the Nigerian Islamist terrorist groups Boko Haram or Ansaru, were seen heading toward Nigeria with the captives.