Boko Haram strikes in Cameroon as foreign troops arrive from Chad

Boko Haram from Nigeria kidnaps 80 people
after attacks on villages in Cameroon
The attacks come as troops from neighboring
Chad arrive in Cameroon to help fight the
terrorist group
World paying attention to Boko Haram atrocities
04:11
Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN)— Boko Haram
insurgents have kidnapped 80 people in northern
Cameroon, officials said, an attack that comes
as troops from neighboring Chad entered
Cameroon to join the fight against the terrorist
group.
The attacks happened in the villages of Mabass
and Makxy in the Mayo-Tsanaga Division of the
Far North Region of Cameroon on Sunday
morning, Saiid Abdulkarim, a journalist for the
state broadcaster, told CNN.
Three of those kidnapped were found dead,
Abdulkarim said.
The Cameroonian government did not
immediately comment.
Meanwhile, thousands of Chadian troops arrived
in Cameroon to join that country's soldiers in
the fight against Boko Haram.
The governor of Cameroon's Far North Region,
Mijiyawa Bakary, told CNN that the first
contingent of Chadian troops arrived in a convoy
of more than 400 vehicles, and a second wave
of soldiers were expected to arrive soon.
The Chadian soldiers "are coming in with dozens
of tanks, armored vehicles and other military
equipment," Cameroon defense ministry
spokesman Col. Didier Badjeck said.
The Chadian parliament unanimously voted
Friday to send troops to Cameroon and Nigeria
to join in the fight against Boko Haram.
The move comes after Cameroon's President,
Paul Biya, made a strong call for international
cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram.
Biya told diplomats recently that Boko Haram
was "a global threat" that calls "for a global
response."
"Such should be the response of the
international community, including the African
Union and our regional organizations," he said.
Chadian officials concluded that Boko Haram
also poses a danger to Chad.
Chadian President Idriss Deby said attacks on
Cameroon by the terrorist group could destroy
Chad's economy.
"We can't remain indifferent to what is
happening to our neighbors," Deby said.
"Cameroon is the entry and exit point for Chad
economically."
Much of what is imported to Chad comes
through the Cameroonian seaport of Douala, and
Chad's crude oil is transported through a
pipeline that runs from southern Chad to a
floating facility 11 kilometers (almost 7 miles)
off the Cameroon coast.
The presence of Chadian troops on the front
could be key to reversing the gains so far made
by the terrorist group.
Trained in desert combat, Chadian forces played
a critical role in fighting jihadists in northern
Mali, where they became major allies to French
troops in the fight against terrorists there. In
fact, they were instrumental in the killing of
some high-profile jihadists.
The involvement of Chadian troops marks a
major shift in Cameroon-Chad anti-terrorism
cooperation. In the past year, it focused mostly
on securing individual borders.
While Chad is the first country to put boots on
the ground in Cameroon, the international
community and regional bodies are also
expressing concern.
On Friday, the Russian ambassador to
Cameroon, Nicolay Ratsiborinski, said his
country will supply Cameroon with modern and
sophisticated military weapons.
He said the equipment will include heavy
artillery, armored cars and missiles.
Michael Stephen Hoza, U.S. ambassador to
Cameroon, also said his country would help
train Cameroon soldiers and offer equipment for
the fight.
Boko Haram has been staging cross-border
raids on Cameroon, the latest being the attempt
by the insurgents to take over a Cameroon
military base in Kolofata. Cameroonian troops
killed 143 of them, and lost one soldier.
On January 3, Boko Haram fighters briefly took
over control of a military base in Achigashia,
forcing Cameroonian soldiers to retreat and then
for the first time use airstrikes against the
insurgents.
Attacks on military installations mark a big shift
in Boko Haram operations in Cameroon.
Initially,they would cross the border and either
attack to steal food or kidnap nationals and
expatriates in exchange for ransoms.
Cameroon has already deployed about 7,000
troops across the Far North, where Boko Haram
has scaled up attacks over the past six months.