Ex-Boko Haram combatants fete new year with the army

Millions the world over are celebrating the New Year and Cameroon’s soldiers are not left out.

Soldiers in the country’s Far North region however had a different type of celebration. They observed the new year feasting with ex-combatants of the Boko Haram terrorist sect.

On January 1, 2021, some 213 ex-combatants Boko Haram celebrated with the multinational mixed armed force maintaining order in the Lake Chad region, a celebration rarely seen anywhere else.

At the ceremony, the ex-combatants expressed their gratitude to the Cameroonian Government.

All residents at the CNDDR transit center in Meri in the Diamaré division, the ex-combatants also received donations from long-time president Paul Biya.

The gifts handed to them on behalf of Cameroon’s president by the deputy national coordinator of the CNDDR and the commander of the multinational mixed force, General Bouba Dobekero, included clothing for women, men, and children, shoes, loincloths, and foodstuffs.

Cell phones were also given to some ex-combatants as they were urged to raise awareness and call on those in the bush to join them in the reintegration centers.

Speaking at the event, General BOUBA DOBEKREO of the multinational joint task force said he and his team are going to deal with those who do not want to lay down their arms.

MMI