According to Cameroon’s military, a sizable cache of weapons and combat gear meant for Boko Haram militants based in Nigeria has been seized.
This week’s interception took place in Maroua, a northern town close to the shared border between Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Officials said the haul contained military uniforms, more than 400 packets of tear gas, more than 100 gallons of oxidizing agents used to make explosives, and long-barreled firearms.
The items were on their way to the Sambisa Forest, a Boko Haram stronghold that lies on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, according to Midjiyawa Bakari, the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region.
Bakari said on state television on Thursday, January 2, 2025, “I am very thankful to the Cameroon military for intercepting war weapons, combat uniforms, and acids used to fabricate explosives destined for several Boko Haram groups in Sambisa.”
He pointed out that following setbacks from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) of the Lake Chad Basin, the group is making an effort to reassemble and re-arm.
With 11,000 soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, the MNJTF has played a key role in recent efforts to degrade Boko Haram.
Regional leaders are still worried about the group’s tenacity and capacity to use open borders to smuggle weapons and enlist new members, though.
Smuggling of Weapons Through the Douala Seaport
Bakari disclosed that Douala, the biggest port in Cameroon, had been used to transport some of the intercepted weapons.
The discovery reveals weaknesses in the nation’s supply chain security, even though the precise path is still being looked into.
Concerns were also voiced by Cameroon’s military regarding Boko Haram fighters dressing like Cameroonian infantry and air force units.
Such strategies are intended to mislead civilians and enable attacks on communities in search of supplies, officials cautioned.
Several hundred Boko Haram fighters left Chad after his forces targeted militants who killed more than 40 Chadian troops in October, according to President Mahamat Idriss Déby’s New Year’s address.
The significance of concerted efforts in the fight against the group was emphasized by Maki Jean Emmanuel, a lecturer and conflict researcher at the University of N’djamena.
“No nation in the Lake Chad Basin can defeat Boko Haram on its own,” Emmanuel stated, urging the MNJTF to be more vigilant.
Emmanuel emphasized that Boko Haram is recruiting from impoverished and jobless youth and exploiting hard-to-reach villages.
“Arms can be smuggled to villages where Boko Haram fighters are hiding because of the porous nature of the borders between Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad,” he explained.
Arrests and Continued Examinations
Several dozen people have been detained by Cameroonian authorities in relation to the smuggling operation.
Their nationalities or identities, however, have not been made public.
To stop more Boko Haram agents from infiltrating, the government has asked residents of border towns and villages to alert security forces to any suspicious activity.
The Humanitarian Toll
Since 2009, the conflict involving Boko Haram has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced more than three million people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.
As regional governments step up efforts to combat the group, the humanitarian crisis continues to strain resources in the Lake Chad Basin.
The interception of the arms shipment marks a critical victory in the fight against Boko Haram but underscores the challenges of securing borders and preventing the group’s resurgence.
