Leaders from Central Africa have met in
Cameroon to finalise plans for a military
offensive against Boko Haram fighters in
Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Representatives of 10 nations met in the
capital Yaounde on Monday under the aegis
of the Economic Community of Central African
States (ECCAS) and committed to spend
$86m to fight Boko Haram.
They also urged the international community
to provide more support to counter the armed
group.
Nigeria-based Boko Haram has widened its
attacks into neighbouring nations, notably
Cameroon and Chad, in a conflict estimated to
have claimed 13,000 lives since 2009.
"This session is historic because we must use
it to respond to the barbaric actions of the
terrorist group Boko Haram," Hamid Alami,
secretary-general of ECCAS, said on Monday.
"This terrorist group has the military and
human resources of a conventional army, but
uses asymmetric methods, making the fight
more complex and costly for Cameroon and
Chad."
The aim of Monday's discussion was to come
up with "an agreed solution" on the fight
against the group, a source close to the
Cameroonian government told the AFP news
agency.
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