Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities have announced efforts to jointly fight armed separatists operating in both countries. The commitment was taken at the end of the eighth session of the Cameroon-Nigeria trans-border security meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
The meeting was convened after Anglophone separatists in Cameroon and the Indigenous People of Biafra in Nigeria said they would join forces to fight for independence.
Speaking at the start of the three-day come together, retired Major General Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser to Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari, said secessionist groups are uniting to destabilize both nations.
“Another emerging concern is the attempt by secessionist groups in Nigeria to form alliances with secessionist groups in Cameroon in order to destabilize both countries…” The retired General indicated adding that Nigeria will never serve as a staging ground by any of such secessionist groups for whatsoever purpose including the destabilization of a friendly and sovereign country like Cameroon.
“In addition, we would work closely together to ensure that any real or perceived attempt to form any alliances between secessionist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon are decisively dealt with," Monguno further said.
Cameroon’s Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji who led the delegation to Nigeria said militaries of the two countries are already at work to map out ways of stopping separatists operating in Cameroon and in Nigeria. He added that jobs will be provided to people living around the border areas to improve on their livelihoods as it is advanced that poverty has forced many of them to join separatist groups.
"To eradicate trans-border insecurity in all its forms or, I believe, to reduce it to minimum, our security forces must intensify intelligence gathering and information sharing. It must include measures to check religious radicalism, foster education and promote economic and social development projects along our common border," Minister Paul Atanga said.
Cameroon shares a 1,975-kilometer-yet-to-be-demarcated-border with Nigeria. Militaries of the two countries have been jointly fighting violent crises since 2010. Nigeria’s northeastern states of Borno and Adamawa and Cameroon's Far North region on Nigeria’s border report regular Boko Haram terrorist attacks.
Cameroon says separatists use porous borders to import weapons through Nigeria and collaboration between the Ambazonia Defense Forces and Indigenous People of Biafra is making the security situation very uncertain.
Few days ago, the Intelligent Bureau of the Nigerian Police in Abuja presented some armed dealers, among them, an Ambazonia agent identified as Ntui Lambert who was arrested in Ikom, Crossriver state in Nigeria. The Nigerian Police said his mother is from Cameroon while his father hails from Nigeria. The Police are exploiting his phone to track down his associates.
Looking at this recent news, the Cameroon-Nigeria Trans border Security Committee created in 2012 in Nigeria to strengthen security in both countries thus appears more than relevant and the implementation of the resolutions arrived at the end of this year’s session a matter of urgency.
Ariane Foguem
