Cameroon, Chad Vow to Block Boko Haram’s Infiltration

 

Presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and Idriss Deby  of Chad have vowed to mobilise their armed forces along their common border to block the Islamist sect Boko Haram from Nigeria.The two leaders reached the decision at the end of the Chadian leader’s two- day visit to Yaounde on Friday.

In a joint statement to this effect, and with regard to security issues in Central Africa, particularly in the Central African Republic and neighboring countries, they “condemned religious fundamentalism which is source of tension in the sub-region and beyond.

Biya and Deby also agreed to engage their governments in climate change, desertification and regional integration issues. They welcomed the pending signature for the construction of a railway connecting Ngaoundere in Cameroon to N’Djamena, as well as the construction of the second border bridge over the Logone between Kousseri and N’gueli.

In regards to the transport of goods between Cameroon and Chad, which has no access to the sea and substantially gets its supplies through the port of Douala, they agreed on the need to increase efforts on both sides to ease procedures and clean up practices with the view to improving traffic flow between the two countries.

They also urged their respective governments to accelerate border demarcation, which should be finalized in 2014, and vowed to strengthen their cooperation for the fight against cross-border crime, poaching and looting of parks and other protected areas.

With APAnews