The Ministry of Defense (Mindef) suspects a “clear” alliance between powerful transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups operating in and around the Lake Chad Basin, according to a statement released on Wednesday. Mindef acknowledged that this alliance is responsible for the recent increase in terrorist activity in the region. The statement noted that “credible” intelligence gathered on the ground confirms the existence of such a partnership.

Security officials also observed that these terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin have leveraged their collusion with the implicated criminal enterprises to enhance their weaponry. The recent attack in Wulgo, which occurred overnight from March 24 to 25 and has been attributed to Boko Haram, demonstrated this development. During the assault, Boko Haram fighters reportedly used  kamikaze drones, as revealed by a military officer cited by SBBC. “Something never seen before,” the same source stated.

Mindef further stated that Boko Haram attackers also employed several light tactical vehicles. The statement also highlighted that the terrorists were heavily armed. This display suggests that Boko Haram is seeking to rebuild its capacity for violence.

On February 13, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) noted a decline in the military capabilities of Boko Haram—the primary terrorist group in the Lake Chad Basin—while renewing the mandate of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The PSC communiqué emphasized “the continued surrender of Boko Haram fighters and their families,” underscoring the group’s diminishing influence.

Following the Wulgo attack, which took place near the Cameroon-Nigeria border, Mindef reported that 12 Cameroonian soldiers were killed, approximately a dozen were wounded, and several terrorists were neutralized. Search operations have since been initiated to track the retreating terrorists along their escape routes.

Source: Sbbc

Boko Haram fighters disguised as herders killed at least 20 Cameroonian troops in a Tuesday morning raid on the Nigerian border town of Wulgo, local security sources and residents told AFP.

Cameroonian troops are commonly stationed across the border in Nigeria as part of anti-jihadist operations around Wulgo, which is near the volatile Lake Chad — home to both Islamic State and Boko Haram fighters.

The militants had disguised themselves as herders and traders in a nearby city and then infiltrated Wulgo to attack its surrounding military positions, said two intelligence sources.

The sources were assisting troops in the long-running fight against the militants and requested anonymity to speak freely.

“The insurgents attacked the bases around 1:00 am and fighting continued for two hours before they subdued the troops and burnt the bases, after taking away heavy weapons,” one of the sources said.

“Twenty Cameroonian troops were killed in the fighting and their bodies were transported across the border into Cameroon this morning,” the source added.

Neither the Nigerian military nor the Cameroonian side responded to an AFP request for comment.

Soviet-made Shilka guns — lightly armoured, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapons — were among the cache seized by the Boko Haram fighters, said the second source, who offered the same death toll.

On Monday, the fighters had blended among herders at the weekly market in the town of Gamboru, a commercial hub 15 kilometres (nine miles) away, the sources said.

They then moved into Wulgo under the cover of night to launch a “surprise attack”, said the second security source.

– Military bases raided –

Sounds of heavy guns and explosions were heard by people in Gamboru who had been awake to observe Ramadan vigils, local resident Muhammad Sani Umar told AFP.

“I saw three Cameroonian military trucks conveying 13 bodies across the border into Cameroon this morning,” said Umar, who visited Wulgo on Tuesday.

The attacked military bases were a mess, with the building torched and vehicles burnt, Umar said.

Since 2009, jihadist violence in northeast Nigeria has killed 40,000 people and displaced 2.3 million, according to the UN, with the conflict spilling into neighbouring countries.

The Lake Chad region in particular — stretching across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon — has become a jihadist stronghold, disrupting fishing, farming and herding, on which the 40 million people who live there depend.

Recently, however, officials have complained about a lack of coordination in the multi-country coalition fighting militants in the region, particularly as Nigeria and Niger have seen relations deteriorate after a coup toppled Niamey’s civilian government in 2023.

Since losing its Sambisa stronghold in Nigeria in 2021 to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival offshoot, Boko Haram has shifted its presence to areas around Lake Chad as well as Wulgo, Waza, Gwoza, Pulka the Mandara mountains on the border with Cameroon.

Wulgo and Waza have been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram, who have kidnapped and killed loggers, herders and scrap metal scavengers they accuse of spying on them for the military or local militias.

Earlier this year, clashes with Boko Haram jihadists near the Lake Chad town of Baga left nine Nigerian soldiers dead.

The attack came days after ISWAP militants killed scores of farmers in nearby in Tumbun Kanta and Kwatar Yobe, with accounts ranging between 40 and 100 dead.

In March 2021, two Cameroonian soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack in Wulgo, with three other Cameroonian troops and a Nigerian soldier injured.

Source: AFP

More than 10 Cameroonian soldiers were killed and 20 others injured after the terrorist group Boko Haram raided a military outpost in the country’s Far North Region, according to local and security sources.

The attack took place overnight into Tuesday.

Boko Haram militants ambushed and attacked the Wulgo military camp located at the border with Nigeria, an army official in the region told the Chinese News Agency by phone on Tuesday.

“The terrorists came from Nigeria in large numbers and took our brave soldiers by surprise. They were well-armed with sophisticated weapons and technology. Our brave soldiers are pursuing them,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Local officials said the death toll could be higher as they were still investigating.

It is one of the deadliest attacks on the Cameroonian army since Boko Haram started operating in the region in 2014, according to local media.

Source: Xinhuanet

More than one million people were displaced in Cameroon in 2024, according to a report published in early March by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The report identified 453,662 displaced people in the Far North region, 583,113 in the Northwest and Southwest regions, and 281,488 refugees from the Central African Republic in the East.

“Although there was no major change in the political situation in Cameroon in 2024, the Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions remained plagued by persistent armed violence, with significant incidents primarily affecting civilians as well as humanitarian operations,” the Norwegian Refugee Council said in the report.

The Far North region has faced incursions by Boko Haram fighters from Nigeria since 2014, affecting the Mayo-Tsanaga, Mayo-Sava, and Logone-et-Chari departments. The region is also home to the Minawao refugee camp, the country’s largest, hosting nearly 70,000 refugees. Armed separatist groups have conducted attacks in the Northwest and Southwest regions since 2017.

The Norwegian Refugee Council report cited additional factors contributing to the high displacement numbers, including “the increase in fuel prices, accompanied by a rise in the cost of basic goods and services, which has had a significant impact on already vulnerable communities, limiting access to essential goods and services for displaced people, particularly women and children.”

The Norwegian Refugee Council’s 2024 budget in Cameroon totaled nearly 7 billion CFA francs, with approximately 22% provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Sbbc

The former Vice President of the National Assembly today challenged Cameroonians to consider rallying behind female politicians so as to create gender parity. 

During a recent sackcloth removal in loving memory of her late elder sister General Nana Abunaw, Rose Abunaw said Yaoundé had built women’s leadership but must expand their fields of participation in governance.

“Cameroonian women were part of the struggle to build this great nation since 1961, advancing women course is a duty that Unity Palace owes every Cameroonian woman and I will continue to be part of this push for women leadership in Cameroon,” Hon. Rose Abuanw added.

Hon. Rose Abunaw explained that she was leaving Mohwa- the once renowned Manyu women association for personal reasons.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that Hon. Rose Abunaw has relegated Mohwa for Eyumema. “In my commitment to Mohwa, I have had the pleasure of working with very sound Manyu women at different times and in different capacities in Mohwa.  All of them treated my late sister General Nana with love and respect but I think it’s now the time for me to move on,” Hon. Rose Abuanw said.

This item is still developing

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from Kingsley Betek

At least two Cameroonian soldiers were killed early Wednesday in a suspected separatist attack in the country’s West Region, according to security sources.

The attack took place in Magda in the West Region, which borders the English-speaking region of Northwest, where an armed separatist conflict is ongoing, local officials said.

An army official in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two soldiers were killed when separatist fighters ambushed them and opened fire.

“I can guarantee you that our brave soldiers will pursue and capture them. That act is intolerable,” the official said over the phone.

Fighting between government forces and separatist fighters has persisted in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017, when separatists attempted to establish an independent nation in these regions.

Source: Xinhuanet

Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Defense (Mindef), Joseph Beti Assomo, issued a directive on March 13, 2025, outlining measures to prevent Cameroonian army deserters from joining the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In a written message to defense and security forces (FDS) unit heads, Assomo instructed them to prevent such desertions. “Following consistent and credible reports indicating the clandestine departures of certain FDS members (…), please urgently take all appropriate measures to tighten control over personnel within your ranks,” Assomo wrote.

He also ordered senior officers to prohibit any FDS member from leaving the national territory without authorization, duly signed by him after approval from the chain of command and Military Security (Semil). For those who have already joined the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Assomo directed military authorities to take immediate action against them, in accordance with existing regulations.

The Mindef directive comes as the conflict in Eastern Europe, which began in February 2022, has become financially appealing to foreign fighters. Military experts report that Russia is offering at least 10,000 euros (approximately 6.5 million CFA francs) in bonuses to foreign volunteers who enlist, a high incentive believed to be driving soldiers from various countries to desert their armies.

Source: Sbbc

Two men living in Southern California were arrested today for allegedly leading a complex money laundering scheme that targeted more than 100 victims, many of whom were targeted because they were elderly, and caused victims more than $10 million in losses.

Sylas Nyuydzene Verdzekov, 38, of Chino Hills, and Lovert Che, 44, of Lomita, were taken into federal custody today. A third defendant, Mustapha Nkachiwouo Selly Yamie, 29, of Inglewood, is being sought by law enforcement. Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Verdzekov and Che are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

“As the indictment alleges, these defendants built a sophisticated fraud and money laundering scheme that targeted and preyed on our most vulnerable citizens.  They not only stole the victims’ money, but robbed them of their security and trust,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “Let this serve as a clear message: If you defraud members of our community, especially the elderly, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Financial fraud against our elder population has unfortunately lined the pockets of several transnational criminal organizations,” said HSI Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. “HSI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting our most vulnerable and ensuring the public is informed of the red flag indicators of elder fraud.”

According to the indictment, from at least November 2021 and continuing to the present, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, created fake identification documents of fictitious people, including passports and driver’s licenses. Using these fake documents, the defendants and their co-conspirators created at least 36 shell companies in California, which conducted no legitimate business and were created solely to advance their crimes.

Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, opened at least 145 bank accounts and at least 32 private mailboxes across Southern California using the fake identities and sham businesses.

In one scheme specifically targeting elderly victims using phone calls and email pop-ups, the defendants and their co-conspirators posed as law enforcement personnel or employees with well-known companies attempting to help the victims maintain the security of their accounts. They then allegedly fabricated claims of victim bank accounts or payment accounts being compromised and needing to be resolved quickly.

The defendants and their co-conspirators convinced the victims of their purported authority through pictures of fake badges and fake job titles, then requested the victims’ personally identifiable information (PII) and bank account information. Victims were told they needed to move money from their corrupted accounts quickly to ensure they kept all their money, and to move it into accounts that Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, fraudulently opened and controlled. Victims typically moved money via electronic bank transfers, money orders, cashier’s checks, or personal checks into these fraudulent bank accounts or mailboxes.

The defendants and their co-conspirators then deposited the ill-gotten gains into the bank accounts they controlled with the intent of disguising the ownership and control of the funds. Verdzekov, Yamie, Che, and their co-conspirators then withdrew large cash amounts to use the stolen funds on personal expenses, including rental payments.

In a similar scam, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly posed as a real estate owner selling property. Using fake identification and credentials, the defendants deceived victims into believing that they were entering into a legitimate sale of the property and tricked the victims into wiring money or mailing a check to an account or mailbox the defendants and their co-conspirators controlled.

In total, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, laundered at least $10 million in funds taken from at least 100 victims.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations’ Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the United States Postal Inspection Service are investigating this matter.  The investigation remains ongoing.