Boko Haram Strikes Cameroon and Nigeria

Boko Haram is continuing its brutal campaign in West Africa, carrying out attacks in Cameroon and Nigeria that killed dozens and served as a reminder that the group is still a threat to a number of countries in the region despite the fact it has been dislodged from its Nigerian stronghold.

Reuters reports that the attack in Cameroon took place in the city of Maroua, the northern capital, and near the border with Nigeria and Chad. At least 13 people were killed in two separate suicide attacks that struck a market and a populous, busy neighborhood.

Cameroon has joined a military effort with Chad and Nigeria to root out the militant group that was established in the early 2000s and grabbed international headlines with the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls as they sat for exams.

The military effort has been largely successful in taking away territory the group controlled, but it has not resulted in any material gains as far as peace is concerned. Bombings continue to be a regular menace in all three countries as the group lashes out at the governments seeking to dismantle it.

Reuters notes this is the second attack on Cameroon in less than two weeks. The previous attack took place in the southern Cameroonian town of Fotokol and killed 13.

A separate Reuters report says that 29 people were killed in bombings that targeted bus stations in the Nigerian city of Gombe. Another 60 people were injured in the violence. Gombe was targeted less than a week ago and 50 people were killed when bombs ripped through a busy marketplace.

In addition to the bus station attacks, one of the most recent bombings took place at a mosque as people gathered for their evening prayers.