'Boko Haram' strikes Cameroon, abduct Vice Prime Minister's Wife!

-   Kill Vice PM, Amadou Ali’s Brother

-   Kolofata Lamido (Mayor) & wife captured

-   Cameroon military push back assailants 

Cameroon stepped up its border security in the wake of Boko Haram's kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls in April

The Feast of Ramadan announced for today, Monday July 28 may already have turned sour in the mouth of Amadou Ali, Vice Prime Minister and Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies.

Early Sunday morning, the Vice Prime Minister’s residence in Kolofata in the Mayo Sava division, Far North region, witnessed an unprecedented onslaught from the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, leading to the death of Ali’s brother, and the abduction of Ali’s wife and the Lamido of Kolofata.

Issa Tchiroma, Communication Minister and Government’s spokesperson in a press statement Sunday evening confirmed the incident. Tchiroma said details of the attack are still sketchy, but observed that the terrorists numbered over 200.

French Catholic priest Georges Vandenbeusch was taken hostage in northern Cameroon and released over a month later

Unofficial reports say the Cameroonian Elite Corps popularly known as BIR also lost two soldiers in the deadly confrontation. It is not yet clear if Boko Haram lost any of its militants during the fire exchanges.

Boko Haram of recent has intensified its violence on Cameroon. At least three other Cameroonian soldiers and three police officers have been killed by the group as recently as between July 10 and July 28. Their activities have never gone beyond the Far North region where their base is reportedly presently located.

The attack comes at the time Biya has created an Operational Command Unit in the region to tackle the group. Shortly before the creation of the Command Unit, battalions of soldiers had been ferried to the Far North to stem the rising spate of the group’s activities.

Boko Haram loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden"

But interestingly, it would seem as if the group is reinforcing proportionally to government’s fortification.

Sunday’s developments have cast doubts on recent media reports that Ali could be sponsoring Boko Haram against the regime. L’Oeil du Sahel, a biweekly newspaper specialised in exclusive reports on the Grand North had few weeks ago alleged that Ali was one of the brains behind Boko Haram in Cameroon.

However, with the abduction of his wife and the killing of his brother by the same group Ali may now have been vindicated of the report allegations.

By Sylvanus Ezieh, July 27, 2014 from http://cameroonjournal.com/