The United States government has trained security operatives in Cameroon to curb the threats of improvised explosive devices (IED) used by Boko Haram terrorists in the country’s Extreme North Region and the Anglophone separatists in the Northwest and the Southwest.

The five-day training, which began on Nov. 15, is aimed at assisting the forces in their fights against insurgents deploying IEDs to terrorise local residents and security agents.

The seminar was a result of the collaborative efforts by the US Bureau of International Security, the National Laboratory of the Northwest Pacific and the Cameroon government, according to a statement by the United States Embassy in the West African country.

The training is said to have reinforced the capacities of Cameroonian forces in their quest to conquer terrorists and insurgents. It also broadened their knowledge of identifying and quelling the use of IEDs among terrorist groups and criminal organisations in Africa.

According to the US Embassy statement, participants in the training programme were drawn from different law enforcement agencies, including customs, forest guards, and internal security operatives. They were trained on how to identify, neutralise and protect against IEDs.

“This training is a perfect illustration of the cooperation existing between the two countries. Together, we can reinforce our collective security and protect our communities against the threat of terrorism,” said Joseph Love, the regional security officer at the US Embassy in Yaounde.

The training shed light on the different forms of threats linked to improvised explosive devices, especially the use of drones by terrorist groups, a preoccupying tendency developing at worldwide proportions.

Due to its proximity to Nigeria, Cameroon is particularly vulnerable to attacks by Boko Haram terrorists who use IEDs to target armed forces, civilians and public infrastructures. The Far North region, for instance, is regularly subjected to incursions and IED attacks.

The statement referred to a report by The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), which revealed that at least 11 IED attacks have been recorded since the beginning of this year, with civilians either killed or wounded. 

Cameroon seems to be going through a transnational kidnap-for-ransom escapade, spilling from Nigeria’s Adamawa state to the Far North, as well as Northwest and Southwest regions. The recent seizure of more than 3,144 war ammunition, which could be used to fabricate IEDs, from a bus in Maroua explains the gravity of the security situation in the country.

The training indicates the potential amelioration of the security situation in Cameroon. It also allows the reinforcement of regional and international cooperation which is indispensable to the fight against transnational terrorist groups exploiting local vulnerabilities.

“This training is within the context of a common engagement by the two countries to reinforce the security and stability of Cameroon and in Central Africa. This collaboration underlines the engagement of the United States and Cameroon to protect our communities against the threats of terrorists and to advance the efforts for durable peace and security in Cameroon,” the US Embassy noted.