Nigeria, Cameroon Meet Over Boko Haram

In a bid to wage war against terrorism in West Africa sub-region, Nigeria and Cameroon will meet in Abuja on Wednesday, 15 October, 2014, the Defence Headquarters stated on Tuesday.



According to the spokesman of Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, the three-day bilateral meeting would take place at the Nigerian military headquarters in Abuja.
Olukolade added that the parley is in furtherance of various efforts to stamp out the scourge of terrorism from the West Africa sub-region.

He also informed that the meeting would be hosted by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and would have in attendance his Cameroonian counterpart and military delegation.
It was gathered that the meeting was a follow-up to previous international and regional meetings to foster common ground in the fight against insurgency and terrorism.
The statement added that it would fashion out ways to strengthen existing working relationship and cooperation between the two nations’ armed forces in the war.
“The bilateral talk is expected to advance the collaboration to contain the activities of terrorists in the two countries through coordinated military operations along the borders,” the statement read.
It would be recalled that Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic, held a similar meeting on Monday in Abuja.
According to a communique released after the parley, it was stated that meeting was to fashion appropriate legal framework for cross border military operations against the Boko Haram terrorists in the region.
Also, at the summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission held recently, Niger, Cameroon and Chad promised to establish a multi-national force to counter the Boko Haram militants operating in the region.
In July Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon had each pledged 700 soldiers to create a multi-national force to fight the Nigeria-based group.
The Boko Haram sect is reported to have caused the death of thousands of innocent souls in Nigeria and border villages in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic.