Nigerians Say Cameroon Troops Kill 70 Civilians

Cameroonian troops killed at least 70 residents while chasing radical militants in the Gwoza area of Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, fleeing villagers said.

Troops entered Kirawa-Jimni village on Sunday, asked where Boko Haram terrorists were and started shooting, residents said Wednesday.

“We didn’t know what was going on but the Cameroonian troops suddenly appeared and began to ask us for Boko Haram terrorists,” said Muhammed Abba, a resident of the village and deputy commander of a local group of civilians set up to fight the extremists in Gwoza. “Before we could say a word, they started firing. That scared most of us and we began to run.”

Abba said that when people returned Monday, they found 70 corpses littering the ground, the Associated Press reported.

The Borno state spokesman for a civilian self-defense group, Abbas Gava, confirmed the reports, saying he received calls from residents of Ashigashiya village near the border with Cameroon.

“They said the soldiers were in hot pursuit of the Boko Haram terrorists who ran into Kirawa-Jimni. The soldiers did not waste time upon arrival as they immediately opened fire on the villagers,” he said.

Kirawa-Jimni is a border community near Cameroon, located around the area where Boko Haram insurgents once held sway. Many Gwoza residents who had fled to Maiduguri and Yola say the insurgents are still very present in the area.

Cameroonian troops also chased Boko Haram fighters into Nigerian territory on Nov. 30, killing at least 150 people, burning huts and forcing people out of their communities, Nigerians said.

Cameroon’s government denied the charges, saying the military is trained to respect human rights. It said it had also carried out a coordinated operation on several border villages around Lake Chad Nov. 27 to Nov. 29, freeing 900 people held by extremists.