Violence Looms In Cameroon Over Terrorism Threats

A recent police raid has led to the confiscation of about 60 UAVs Douala, economic capital of the Cameroon. Police officers reported seven people were arrested on terrorism-related charges.

Despite the activity of the police, particularly in Douala and other major cities, and regular raids suppressing the potential terrorist schemes in Cameroon, there is a certain rise in their presence, officially recorded by state security.

“The situation in the few regions, particularly in the North, Far North, Northwest and Littoral has seriously deteriorated due to terrorist threats which are trying to destabilize Cameroon,” said Lawrence Muna, Chef d’Escadron in Douala Police. “We fight them day and night, however the struggle remains tough and attacks are expected any moment.”

The awareness of the security structures in Cameroon on the terrorist activity remains high. According to Denis F., who is an ASSN Think Tank expert focusing on security in Cameroon, the national security keeps thwarting threats, but the following months are expected to be a real challenge for them. Mid-April is expected to be the time of highest insecurity and a check for stability of the Cameroon.

Seven arrested formally joined over 250 charged over terrorism, part of whom had already been convicted. The threat of terrorism has become a major point of Cameroonian life in the recent six months, due to the Lake Chad Basin hideouts of radicals, linked to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, its former overlord.

The steady rise of terrorist threats in Cameroon multiplies the other sources of instability, as the country remains torn due to Anglophone crisis and is still struggling to guarantee safe political future in the potential aftermath of Paul Biya’s reign.

“The Police is highly aware of the smuggling of new weapons, which have emerged in the country. Almost no UAVs in Cameroon were used up until the last year,” Lawrence Muna explains, “Police managed to confiscate almost 300 UAVs since the New Year, and many of them were smuggled in Douala and Yaoundé”. It creates a new potential source of danger for the Cameroon, which remains hidden.

The neighbouring countries, Nigeria and Chad, which are facing the jihadist threat, also remain insecure, with its citizens seeking refuge in Cameroon, exploiting the security threats for the country. According to the non-profits and security reports, radicals are often infiltrating among the refugees.