Cameroon ‘frees’ 900 Boko Haram hostages

The Cameroonian army says it has killed at least 100 Boko Haram insurgents and freed 900 hostages held by the sect.

Didier Badjeck, the army spokesperson, said troops had conducted a sweep operation from November 26 through November 28 along Cameroon’s long border with Nigeria.

According to Reuters, the army captured arms and flags from Islamic State (ISIS), to whom Boko Haram pledged allegiance in March, killing Al hadji Gana, a senior member of the sect.

The hostages, who initially lived in the six villages involved in the raid, were said to have become prisoners to Boko Haram prior the army operations.

The army further revealed that its rapid intervention brigade (BIR) swept the six villages in Mayo Sava, a district of the far north region in Cameroon.

Ryan Cummings, chief analyst for Africa at crisis management company red24, said: “An operation like this may have hit one cell but that does not create a major problem for Boko Haram’s ability to execute attacks in other areas.”

However, the Nigerian army, which is a part of the 8,700-strong regional task force against Boko Haram, has not confirmed the release of the 900 hostages who are said to be at a camp for the displaced in Cameroon.

It was not clear if they included any of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from Chibok in April 2014 was among the hostages set free.

Boko Haram is regarded as the world’s deadliest terror organization responsible for at least 20,000 deaths in the past six years.