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French-Chadian Coordination to Fight Boko Haram | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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French President Francois Hollande welcomes his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby at the Elysee. AFP


Nouakchott-Boko Haram carried out a terrorist attack in northern Cameroon on Sunday, leaving three civilians dead and around 20 others wounded, hours after French President Francois Hollande and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby announced that their countries would coordinate in the fight against terror.

The Elysee Palace said in a press release that the two leaders discussed in Paris on Saturday “the fight against Boko Haram and current operations by the Joint Multinational Force, which includes the neighboring states of Lake Chad.”

“Hollande confirmed the support of France to the African force, whether logistical support, supply of information, donation of equipment and training,” of which it said the two presidents agreed to work closely.

The French head of state also confirmed that France would boost its solidarity with the people living in the region, through the initiative for Lake Chad carried by the French Development Agency.

“This project will be implemented by NGOs to strive to preserve the lake, pursuant to commitments made at the COP21,” the Elysee said.

Book Haram, which has pledged alliance to ISIS, is a real threat to development and stability in the Lake Chad region.

Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency has killed at least 20,000 people in Nigeria and border areas of neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

It has also left more than 2.8 million homeless, fleeing attacks by militants who have ransacked villages across the poverty-stricken region.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official told Agence France Presse that Sunday’s attack took place in Mora, a town in Cameroon’s far north near the Nigerian border — an area which has suffered repeatedly from attacks by Boko Haram Islamists.

“A man riding a motorbike blew himself up on a bridge near the market in Mora,” he said.

He added that the blast had killed three civilians and the bomber.