The US has donated 18 Toyota pickup trucks, a truck, a front-end loader and other equipment to Cameroon’s military, which will use the equipment to fight Boko Haram militants in the Lake Chad Basin.
Some of the other equipment included a truck, front-end loader, seven 1 500 to 3 000 litre water tanks and six 30 KVA power generators. US Ambassador to Cameroon Michael Stephen Hoza handed over the equipment and vehicles to Cameroonian Defence minister Joseph Beti Assomo in Yaounde on 9 December. Ambassador Hoza said the US hopes that the new equipment will enhance the mobility and extend the operational capabilities of the army in the fight against Boko Haram.
Ambassador Hoza said the donation is a symbol of the strong partnership between both countries in the fight against Boko Haram and other extremist groups in the region:
“We know violent extremism. This is violence on a terrible scale. We want to see a bright future for Cameroon. We are happy to partner with you. We will be here till the end of the fight,” he said.
Cameroon joined Nigeria, Niger and Chad in contributing troops to the Joint Multi-National Task Force (JMNTF), a Lake Chad Basin regional military force which was formed early this year to fight Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram.
Since 2013, the group has staged cross-border attacks and kidnapped and killed hundreds through village raids and suicide bombings and remains the main regional security threat to date.
Assomo said Cameroon is grateful for the valuable counter-terrorism assistance packages provided by the US and said Cameroon’s military will use the equipment in a responsible manner.
He said the donation is the latest in a number of recent US security assistance packages which include the donation of six Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) in October.
“This donation falls within the framework of support to the fight against terrorist sects, notably the jihad-terrorist sect, Boko Haram,” Assomo said.
At least 300 US soldiers arrived in Cameroon in October to provide intelligence and training support to Cameroonian forces fighting Boko Haram.
Meanwhile, Benin is set to join the regional fight against Boko Haram shortly with the deployment of 800 soldiers to insurgency hot-beds in northern Nigeria. Speaking after holding bilateral security co-operation talks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Cotonou on Wednesday, Benin President Boni Yayi said 800 troops will join the Nigerian-led JMNTF.
“The will power is there and we are committed to the deployment. Benin will always remain on the side of Nigeria in its trying times,” President Yayi said. However, no timeline has been given for the deployment.
