Cameroon says it is deploying more troops to its far northern border with Nigeria after a suicide attack late Wednesday killed at least 13 people in the border town of Limani.
Two teenage suicide bombers crossed the border from Nigeria’s Borno state late Wednesday, according to Cameroon's Far North region governor Midjiyawa Bakary.
One detonated his explosives at a popular spot where youth had gathered to watch films while the other went to a local mosque. The governor said officials believe the bomber may have intended to hide there and attack the faithful who attend morning Ramadan prayers in large numbers.
Midjiyawa said 13 people are confirmed dead and many more are wounded.
Speaking to VOA by phone, the governor said Boko Haram has been targeting the area over the past month.
He said the terrorist group has been using the long and porous border to steal food and money and transport them to Nigeria.
Cameroon's government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakari, said the military has been deployed to seal that part of the border.
He said the fact that the same people with the same language and descendants are found on both sides of the border makes it very difficult to identify strangers. He says the military will investigate whether the suicide bombers benefited from any local collaboration.
Earlier this month, Cameroon deployed 1,000 additional soldiers in the north as part of a fresh regional offensive against Boko Haram.
Since it started in 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency has killed over 20,000 people and displaced 2.7 million more.
