Following the Special Instructions of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Defence and Security Forces are currently conducting law enforcement and defence operations in the North West and South West Regions.
With regard to law enforcement operations based on the ‘humane law enforcement’ concept, they consist in enforcing public order through public awareness and, when necessary, undertaking any appropriate operations to restore order and security. The results obtained are convincing and the vast majority of the population collaborates in the execution of the various missions related thereto. To illustrate this, the populations are increasingly turning a deaf ear to all sorts of calls to civil disobedience launched by the troublemakers. I should indicate that no element of the category 3 forces is involved in this type of operation.
Distinguished Journalists, Ladies and Gentlemen As you know, armed gangs claiming to belong to various secessionist movements have recently led attacks against the positions of the Defence Forces, especially in the border areas and some localities along the Western border of Cameroon. These attacks, mostly concentrated in the Manyu Division, South- West Region, have sometimes resulted in the death of some elements of our Defence and Security Forces.
It should be recalled that the terrorists had taken advantage of the dense forest at the border with Nigeria to set up secret training camps from which they organized raids against the positions of our Defence Forces. It was at this juncture that the category 3 forces had to take action through tactical units, and conducted force operations aimed at protecting the exposed areas, hunting down the enemy and securing the border.
During these operations, the bloodthirsty secessionist criminals were severely defeated. Following the dismantling operations thus carried out, the hideouts of these hordes of murderers were literally destroyed and the villages previously taken hostage were released. No civilian or military death or casualty was recorded during these missions, which, it must be emphasized, were carried out with exemplary professionalism by our Defence Forces.
On the enemy side, many terrorists have been permanently neutralized. Several suspects have been arrested; large quantities of war and hunting weapons as well as hundreds of military ammunition and uniforms have also been seized. On the same occasion, transmission and optical equipment, as well as large stocks of propaganda media, were recovered. Exhibition and parade sites on which the terrorists had hoisted their banners were also taken back and sanctuarized. We should take note of the perfect coordination between the various category 1, 2 and 3 forces whose close collaboration contributed to the success of this series of operations, whereby the concept of jointness prescribed by the Head of State in the 2001 reform of the armies was perfectly implemented.
As a matter of fact, the Forces on the ground which, it should be underscored are part of the land, air and sea units based in these Regions, operated with an exemplary synergy. This pressure exerted on the enemy will be scaled up until the final eradication of this movement. Meanwhile, the assailants, caught in-between the positions of our Defence and Security Forces are now confined to cowardly and sporadic attacks carried out with cover-up and perfidy.
It is one of those attacks that has unfortunately claimed the lives of four of our gendarmes who were cold-bloodedly killed this Monday, December 18, 2017 in Kembong, Eyumodjock Subdivision in the Manyu Division. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA, Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, salutes the memory of the fallen brave soldiers. The Head of State extends his most heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and most intimately shares the pain that they feel at this sad moment. The entire nation is once again bringing its comfort and unwavering support to our Defence and Security Forces in the chivalric fight they are leading for peace, unity and the preservation of the territorial integrity of our country.
As for the populations of the North-West and South-West Regions that are subject to the violent extremism perpetrated by these outlaws, we assure them that all their fellow citizens stand in solidarity with them during these hard times they are going through. We hail their Republican commitment thanks to which victories against this common enemy will continue to be won until the final stage. We commend the cohesive cooperation between our Defence and Security Forces and the civilian population in the affected areas where many joint civilian and military actions are being carried out, making it possible for these populations to benefit from free health campaigns, provision of school equipment, foodstuffs and essential commodities.
They are also sensitized on citizen behavior and the dangers of manipulation. Let me seize this opportunity to call on all to be vigilant in the face of all the dangers posed by the misinformation maneuvers orchestrated through social media in particular, and which aim not only to demobilize positive minds, but even more seriously, to launder a cause that is as ill-fated as that led by terrorists hiding behind political pretexts.
In any case, the President of the Republic, Head of State, Commander- in-Chief of the Army, reiterates to the Cameroonian people, his determination to restore peace, security and serenity wherever need be throughout the national territory. Thank you for your kind attention.”
Source : Cameroon Tribune