Cameroon in 2015

On the political front, a minor cabinet reshuffle took place at the end of the year. Security remained a major problem in the Far North region with armed attacks and suicide bombings attributed to the Nigerian-based Boko Haram movement, which had killed hundreds of people. The East region was also affected by insecurity, with regular incursions by armed gangs, probably coming from the CAR. Cameroonian security forces were accused of human rights violations in the Far North. On the economic front, the country was able to adjust well to the fall in crude oil prices, but corruption scandals continued. Analysts were becoming increasingly concerned about the rapid increase in the country’s debt.

Domestic Politics

Boko Haram’s insurgency in the Far North region dominated the news throughout the year. For the first time, the leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, threatened President Paul Biya directly in a 17-minute video posted on 5 January: “Paul Biya, if you do not put an end to your evil plan you’ll be entitled to the same fate as Nigeria (…). Your soldiers can do nothing against us,” Shekau said. As in 2014, Boko Haram engaged in guerilla style warfare, deploying small raiding forces, but they also operated as an army capable of deploying hundreds of fighters armed with heavy artillery (including rockets and tanks). On 17 April, more than 100 Boko Haram fighters stormed the town of Bia, killing 16 civilians. In a report pub- lished in September, AI estimated that, in the period from mid-2014 to mid-2015, Boko Haram had attacked dozens of towns and villages, killing nearly 400 civilians, burning hundreds of homes and loot- ing livestock. Cameroonian security forces also committed violence in response. AI accused them of numerous human rights violations,

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ��9 | doi:��.��63/9789004401532_009 92 cameroon in 2015 including summary executions. The report documented that the security forces attacked villages, destroying homes, killing civilians and arresting more than 1,000 suspects, including children as young as five. About 84 children were unlawfully detained for six months at a children’s centre after security forces descended on the city of Guirvidig. At least 25 people died in custody, and there was no news of at least 130 others who had been arrested. The Cameroonian authorities did not respond to letters from AI expressing serious concern. In July, terrorism gained further prominence with a first suicide bombing in Fotokol. The bombing was followed by several more, all in markets in the Far North region: Mora, Kolofata and Kaliari were among the affected cities. These attacks were attributed to Boko Haram, although the terrorist group did not claim responsibility and some of the incidents occurred far from Boko Haram’s usual area of activity. In Maroua, capital of the Far North region and lo- cated 400 km from the Nigerian border, 33 people were killed in several suicide bombings in late July. In December, two suicide attacks killed at least four people at Waza, a town bordering Nigeria and Chad. These attacks appear to have been committed by children, teenagers or socially vulnerable women, who were unwittingly car- rying the explosives, some of which were triggered by remote con- trol. After the first suicide bombings, committed in Fotokol by two women wearing burqas, the governor of the Far North region de- cided to ban the garment. Terrorism in the north had an impact on major cities in the south. After the suicide attacks in Maroua, inhabitants of Yaoundé and Douala also became afraid. Controls on roads and at bus stations nationwide were tightened by police, primarily in Yaoundé and Douala. In Yaoundé, in the popular neighbourhood of Briquetterie, known for its large Muslim community, the police raided houses and mosques in July. According to local newspapers, dozens of people were arrested. Minister of Communication Issa Tchiroma Bakary said that these sweep operations had led to the arrest of many sus-