Cameroon’s military moved over 300 civilians rescued from Boko Haram captivity to a military post in northern Cameroon, this week.
The rescue occurred during Operation Alpha along the border shared by Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
According to the Army, many Boko Haram militants were neutralized during this operation.
Oumar Fatime, a 37-year-old former vegetable farmer from Ngouboua village in Chad, recounted how Boko Haram fighters abducted her and three family members on April 17. The kidnappers threatened to kill them unless their families paid ransom.
Fatime is among the over 300 civilians rescued by the Cameroonian military from various villages near the border with Chad and Nigeria in the past week.
Cameroon state TV broadcasted footage of the rescued civilians arriving in military trucks at a camp in Dabanga district, near the border.
Most of the freed hostages are women and children, and the rescue operation involved about 200 government troops.
Midjiyawa Bakari, the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, visited Dabanga on behalf of President Paul Biya to commend the troops for their successful mission.
During the operation, the troops seized several hundred weapons, including rifles and explosives, as well as motorcycles and bicycles used by the militants for their attacks and kidnappings.
The Cameroonian military stated that the operation was assisted by government troops from Chad and Nigeria.
Scores of militants were killed, and dozens were wounded. Some militants who surrendered are now aiding in ongoing investigations.
Although the Source could not independently confirm if joint operations were conducted with troops from Chad and Nigeria, previous operations in April reportedly freed many civilians kidnapped for ransom or forced to fight with jihadist groups.
Cameroon is negotiating with neighboring countries to allow rescued Chadian and Nigerian civilians to return home voluntarily.
In the meantime, the freed hostages will be taken to the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) center in Meri, a northern town near the border with Chad and Nigeria.
Despite previous claims that Boko Haram’s firepower had greatly reduced, militants have been returning to areas where government troops had withdrawn.
The group is reportedly recruiting new members and attacking villages for supplies. Since 2009, at least 36,000 people have been killed, and 3 million have been displaced due to the conflict between Boko Haram and government troops in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, according to the United Nations.
