Cameroon: in the shadow of Nigeria

[davidbfpo]

A rarity, a US journalist reports from the Cameroon, after spending time "out & about" looking and asking questions. Yes the title implies the focus is on newly opened, expanding facility for US drones - there is more:https://theintercept.com/2016/02/25/us-extends-drone-war-deeper-into-africa-with-secretive-base/?

On the much-heralded (in 2015) regional, multi-national force:

The new multinational force had gotten up and running in November, he said, adding that most of the soldiers belonged to the BIR — “among the best troops in Cameroon.” But other sources told me that the multinational force had been beset by internal feuding. The Nigerian military was demanding a leadership role, and the Chadians and Cameroonians were resisting. The feuding had slowed the integration of the three nations’ soldiers into a single unit; the “multinational force” along Cameroon’s border, for example, was still almost entirely made up of Cameroonians, and by the time I caught up with the officer in mid-January, it had made only four brief incursions into Nigeria.

[davidbfpo]

A short BBC World Service report from northern Cameroon, including some comments by the local military (BIR) and gendarmerie commanders on changing Boko Haram tactics:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35838112

[davidbfpo]

An overview by an ICG analyst:https://sustainablesecurity.org/2016...m-in-cameroon/

A couple of key points:

...the military cooperation between Chad and Nigeria or Nigeria and Cameroon that, despite the bottlenecks recorded at the beginning, has improved significantly over recent months to the extent that the right of hot pursuit is now a reality....No serious brainstorming is done on development issues and the fight against radicalization at the regional level. In the same light, no reflection has been initiated on the ways to end this crisis now that Boko Haram is weakened.

[davidbfpo]

So after four months of disorder in the English-speaking region of Cameroon a Nairobi-based reporter writes a report and he headline:

A nation divided: tensions mount in Cameroon as English speakers marginalised by Francophone majority

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...arginalisedby/

I had not seen any reporting of this, but one must wonder if Boko Haram are the winners here.

The BBC World Service two weeks ago had a radio podcast:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04tnn64

[davidbfpo]

A comprehensive overview and update on Cameroon's northern province and Boko Haram:http://oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/pu...ing_boko_haram

[davidbfpo]

Not exactly a surprise, this report indicates there is a level of violence, bitterness over the government's response, refugees and Nigeria extraditing dissident leaders back to the Cameroon.
Link:http://www.enca.com/africa/separatis...ar-in-cameroon

[davidbfpo]

A short article, with plenty of photos:

Ruthless violence between francophone state forces and English-speaking separatists has forced tens of thousands of Cameroonians into Nigeria, splintering families and leaving many people sleeping rough, without access to staples such as food, clothing and education.....At least 160k are displaced inside Cameroon, and more than 21k have fled to Nigeria to escape what has been described by bishops as “blind, inhuman, monstrous violence”.

Link:https://www.theguardian.com/global-d...olence-nigeria