Boko Haram threat spreads from Nigeria schools to nearby countries
Children in conflicts
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Soldiers at scene of a Boko Haram bomb attack in Kaduna, Nigeria, on July 23
Boko Haram鈥檚 campaign of terror against girls and schools is growing beyond the borders of Nigeria.
The militant group, whose names mean 鈥淲estern education is forbidden鈥 鈥 have been stepping up raids into neighbouring Cameroon in recent weeks.
In its latest foray into Cameroon, Boko Haram attacked the home of the country鈥檚 deputy prime minister, killing 14 people and abducting 17 others 鈥 including his wife.
The goup is still holding the 219 Chibok girls who were kidnapped from their school in Borno state in April. About in Borno, according to the state governor.
One school in Cameroon has already felt the threat of Boko Haram.听The Fotokol school is only 300 metres from the Nigerian village of Gamboru, where 300 people were murdered in May. Students told recently how .
The defence ministers of four countries whose borders meet at Lake Chad held talks recently, aimed at speeding up the formation of a military force of almost 3000 troops to tackle Boko Haram in the region.
As well as Nigeria and Cameron, Chad and Niger are under threat. Reports say Boko Haram has recruited fighters from Chad and Niger, whose defence minister Karidio Mahamadou said they were determined to 鈥渆radicate this curse鈥.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan issued a statement on the Cameroon kidnappings, saying it 鈥渦nderscores the regional security threat that Boko Haram has become鈥.
The statement added: 鈥淗e welcomes the recent resolve by the defence ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger to further strengthen existing partnerships in order to forestall the desperate attempt by misguided elements to turn the sub-region into a battleground for terrorism and radical extremism.鈥
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