Boko Haram twin suicide attacks kill 11 in Cameroon
Eleven people were killed on Wednesday in northern Cameroon
when two girls blew themselves up in twin attacks in a region repeatedly
targeted by Nigeria-based Boko Haram jihadists, officials said.
The girls, who were "under 15", attacked the
central market of the regional capital Maroua as well as the adjoining Hausa
neighbourhood, regional governor Midjiyawa Bakari said, reports AFP.
In a statement, the presidency said that 11 people had died
and 32 were wounded in what it called "cowardly and despicable" acts.
A source close to local authorities earlier confirmed the
attack, saying "two girls who were begging blew themselves up" at
around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT).
A Cameroonian journalist, who was in the town at the time,
described "total panic" in the town after the bombings.
The attack is the
second of its kind in Cameroon in the past 10 days.
On July 12, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in
Fotokol, on the border with Nigeria, killing 10 civilians and a soldier from
neighbouring Chad.
Over the past two years Boko Haram has carried out several
cross-border raids and abductions in northern Cameroon but the country, which
is engaged in a regional fightback against the jihadists, had previously been
spared from suicide attacks.
The coalition, which has also drawn in Nigeria, Niger and
Chad, has succeeded in retaking several towns and villages in northeast Nigeria
from the insurgents.
Their response in recent weeks, since President Muhammadu
Buhari came to power in Nigeria vowing to defeat them, has been to step up
their attacks, showing they are far from vanquished.
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