U.S. Donation to Boost Cameroon’s Boko Haram Fight

DEFENCEWEB

The U.S. government donated 18 Toyota pickup trucks, a trailer truck, a front-end loader and other equipment to Cameroon’s military, which will use it to fight Boko Haram.

Some of the other equipment includes seven 1,500- to 3,000-liter water tanks and six generators. U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon Michael Stephen Hoza handed over the equipment and vehicles to Cameroonian Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo in Yaoundé in December 2015. Hoza said the U.S. hopes that the new equipment will enhance the Army’s mobility and extend its operational capabilities.

Hoza said the donation is a symbol of the strong partnership between both countries. “We know violent extremism. This is violence on a terrible scale,” he said. “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.”

Cameroon joined Chad, Niger and Nigeria in contributing troops to the Joint Multi-National Task Force, a Lake Chad Basin regional military force that was formed in 2015 to fight the extremist group Boko Haram.

Assomo said the donation is the latest in a number of recent U.S. security assistance packages that included six armored personnel carriers in October 2015. “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 U.S. Soldiers arrived in Cameroon in October to provide intelligence and training support to Cameroonian forces.