Cameroon launches inquiry into conduct of war against Boko Haram

Cameroon government has launched a "broad administrative inquiry" into the conduct of the two-year war against Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, after it emerged that there was financial embezzlement and other forms of trafficking, a well placed source has told Xinhua.

According to official statistics, over 6,000 members of Cameroon's defense and security forces were mobilized for this operation that was mostly carried out in Cameroon's Far North region which borders Nigeria.

To accomplish the mission, large sums of money was disbursed by government for acquisition of military equipment, intelligence gathering, provision of basic needs and allowances for the troops as well as administrative purposes for the war.

So far, the amount of money spent on the operation has not been made public, although according to official accounts, over 2 billion CFA Francs (over 4 million U.S. dollars) was mobilized for this purpose.

In 2015 alone, humanitarian aid totalling over 1 billion CFA Francs that was handed over to President Paul Biya for the benefit of people affected by Boko Haram activities in the Far North region, raised a lot of controversy.

Local administrative authorities were accused of overestimating the number of victims whose number they placed at 1.4 million people, yet the real figure was 200,000 displaced persons.

At the same time, a dispute arose among soldiers involved in the fight against Boko Haram over failure to receive their allowances.

In addition, complaints started emerging from members of village security committees over the non-transparent distribution of their allowances for supporting defense forces in the fight against terrorism.

On more than one occasion, the president of Cameroon's National Assembly Djibril Cavaye Yeguie who comes from the country's Far North region, has been forced to clarify his allegations that there were Boko Haram "accomplices"' within the Cameroonian establishment.

His position is influenced by the fact that the Nigerian sect has managed to recruit over 3,000 Cameroonian youths to fight for it.

Since January 2015, Cameroonian forces have been carrying out operations to dismantle Boko Haram training cells in this Central African nation.

At the same time, the government and other neighbouring states of Nigeria, Chad and Niger under the Lake Chad Basin Commission as well as Benin which is a non-member, have been working together to fight Boko Haram from different fronts.

Investigations have also revealed the close connection between Boko Haram and some officials from the Far North region, who include local elected leaders. Some of those leaders are currently facing judicial processes.

The fight against Boko Haram seems to have turned into a lucrative business for some Cameroonian officials who engage in financial embezzlement, trafficking of weapons and oil, arbitrary arrests, release of suspected terrorists and abuse of power.

But these actions seem not to have escaped the attention of the country's top leadership who, only a month ago, ordered for a "broader inquiry" on the management of the war against the Nigerian terrorist group.

According to the sources, the outcome of the inquiry may claim jobs of some senior ranking Cameroonian officials.

Just like the previous "Epervier" operation that led to incarceration of several senior officials over corruption, including ex-prime minister Ephraim Inoni and ex-ministers Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara and Marafa Hamidou Yaya, it is believed the current inquiry will result into judicial prosecutions.

source : xinhua