Boko Haram kills 11 villagers in northern Cameroon

By Peter Kum

MAROUA, Cameroon (AA) - Boko Haram militants have killed 11 villagers in an attack in Cameroon's Far North Region, a military official told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

"Several armed Boko Haram terrorists attacked Gouderi and slaughtered 11 people on Sunday night," Gen. Frederick Ndjonkep, commander of a joint military operation said.

He added that the militants fled to neighboring Nigeria after the attack. Gouderi village is located near the Nigerian border.

"When they [Boko Haram militants] arrived, they asked us to gather but people started to flee in all directions. Those who were caught were slaughtered and others amputated," Moussa, one of the villagers, told Anadolu Agency.

"I hid in the cotton field and when they left, I came out of my hiding place and found dead bodies and blood everywhere. It's really horrible what we lived," Moussa said.

Some villagers think the attack was a matter of settling accounts.

"Soldiers carried out a military operation on Saturday, Oct. 28 in the bush near our village and several Boko Haram members who were hiding in this bush were killed in the operation," Brahim Aladji, member of Gouderi vigilance committee said.

"I think we are paying the price for this military operation," Brahim added.

Boko Haram attacks have killed nearly 2,500 Cameroonians between 2014 and 2017, according to the Defense Ministry.

The UN Refugee Agency estimates approximately 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence, and more than 2.6 million displaced.