Northern Cameroon was hit by a terrorist attack that killed civilians and several children. These two categories of people represent a common target group when it comes to disseminating panic and violence: when they are hit it means that nobody can be safe.

Mahamat Chetima Abba, the traditional chief in the village of Mozogo, reported that the sucide bomber arrived in the middle of the night. On Friday,  a female suicide bomber blew herself up.  People tried to flee and reach the forest but unfortunately, it was too late: it is reported that at least a dozen civilians and eight children have been killed.  This case of terrorism is thought to be caused by the so-called Boko Haram, a jihadist terrorist organization active in northeastern Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and northern Cameroon. Concerning this event, Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the Far North Region, said that “Boko Haram terrorists stormed the village, firing shots in the air. Villagers fled to a park, where Boko Haram fighters brought a girl strapped with explosives''. Abba, the village chief, said, “Boko Haram is inflicting more and more damage here. However, it seems that they no longer have the means to carry out mass attacks using guns”.

In 2009, Boko Haram launched its insurrection in northeast Nigeria and since then more than 36,000 people have been killed and three million people have fled their homes. This group is not the only one that inflicts violence and terror: the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) is another splinter group that has intensified attacks lately in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

To learn more, please read:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/8/armed-attack-kills-several-in-northern-cameroon
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210108-jihadist-attack-kills-13-in-northern-cameroon 

Author: Giulia Francescon; Editor: Shrabya Ghimire