CAMEROON-BOKO HARAM AWARENESS Cameroonians urged to be vigilant as Boko Haram attacks persist
Record ID:
143384
CAMEROON-BOKO HARAM AWARENESS Cameroonians urged to be vigilant as Boko Haram attacks persist
- Title: CAMEROON-BOKO HARAM AWARENESS Cameroonians urged to be vigilant as Boko Haram attacks persist
- Date: 20th August 2015
- Summary: YAOUNDE, CAMEROON (RECENT) (REUTERS) TRAFFIC OUTSIDE TRAIN STATION PEOPLE INVOLVED IN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOKO HARAM DISTRIBUTING LEAFLETS GUIBAI GATTAMA, PRESIDENT OF UNITED FOR CAMEROON COALITION, DISTRIBUTING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN LEAFLETS STICKER ON MOTORBIKE READING 'STOP TERRORISM DIAL 1500' IN FRENCH MAN PUTTING COOKING POT ON HIS HEAD WITH STICKER READING 'STOP TERRORISM, DIAL 1500' (French) PEOPLE IN CAFE WITH THE STICKERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) DJENABOR, MEMBER OF UNITED FOR CAMEROON COALITION SAYING: "Everyone is joining up because its in the national interest today, the country is targeted, so every one is conscious" GATTAMA GIVING OUT LEAFLETS (SOUNDBITE) (French) GUIBAI GATTAMA, PRESIDENT, UNITED FOR CAMEROON COALITION CAMPAIGNING TO MOBILISE PEOPLE AGAINST BOKO HARAM SAYING: "The aim is to make all Cameroonians aware. Through this campaign we are saying to Cameroon citizens: let us take this problem seriously. Let us take control of the problem of terrorism. The government does what it needs to do. Citizens also have something to do, specifically to remain vigilant." EXTERIOR MARKET HAWKERS PLAYING TABLE FOOTBALL (SOUNDBITE) (French) ALHADJI ABDULAI, TAXI DRIVER SAYING: "I am proud about this. If we have a problem we will be able to call quickly." (SOUNDBITE) (French) MARIE-ELISABETH MAKOKAM, YAUNDE RESIDENT SAYING: "It's a great initiative. We need to help Cameroonians to keep up their moral up in relation to the situation and to stay strong and solid." (SOUNDBITE) (French) THOUCHAN CLAUDE, YAOUNDE RESIDENT SAYING: "This will affect all levels of society and help raise awareness, and together we can fight this gangrene." ARAMA JANNEH DOUMBOUYA, ENTERING TRAVEL AGENCY WHERE SHE WORKS DOUMBOUYA IN THE OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARAMA JANNEH DOUMBOUYA, TRAVEL AGENT SAYING: "With the issue of Boko Harram we no longer dress like we used to dress before, because when you wear a hijab for you to enter some offices it is very complicated even to have a taxi, even to go out to the market and all that, it is very complicated. They find you like a suspect may be somebody who is wearing a bomb on them which leads to police men and police women searching you. There is no difference between a man searching a man and a woman a woman searching a woman. So I think with the issue of terrorism dressing in a hijab has become very very difficult." POLICE ENTERING TRAIN STATION AWARENESS CAMPAIGNER WITH T-SHIRT READING 'STOP TERRORISM' IN ENGLISH DELIVERING PAMPHLETS INSIDE THE STATION TRAIN COMES INTO STATION CAMPAIGNERS HANDING OUT LEAFLETS TO PASSENGERS AS THEY COME OUT OF TRAIN MORE OF CAMPAIGNERS HANDING OUT LEAFLETS ON TRAIN PLATFORM
- Embargoed: 4th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cameroon
- Country: Cameroon
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAAHI9ZGYAHX3J8BZ32CYD4TBPV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Volunteers from the Collective for a United Cameroon fan out at Yaounde train station to give commuters and passers by thousands of leaflets emblazoned with a free phone number they can call if they see anything suspicious.
T-shirts and posters with the campaign logo reading 'Stop terrorism' and 'Remain United' are also being distributed.
This is part of a nationwide campaign initiated in the capital at the beginning of August to mobilise citizens against Boko Haram militants who have crossed into Cameroon from neighbouring Nigeria, and who have been carrying out bloody attacks in the north.
Cameroonians have been deeply marked by the violent Boko Haram attacks.
After some 19 people were killed in the northern city of Maroua by suspected Boko Haram militants, the government deployed an extra 2,000 troops to try and curb the spill over of violence - however cross-border attacks by Islamist gunmen have become an almost daily occurrence.
The central African nation has already deployed some 7,000 troops, alongside soldiers from Chad, Niger and Nigeria, to tackle Boko Haram's six-year insurgency which has threatened the stability of the Lake Chad region.
Those behind this latest campaign hope to get citizens to take civil action along side the military's fight and the Collective wants to mobilise the entire nation.
"Everyone is joining up because its in the national interest today, the country is targeted, so every one is conscious," said Djenabor a member of the collective.
"The aim is to make all Cameroonians aware. Through this campaign we are saying to Cameroon citizens: let us take this problem seriously. Let us take control of the problem of terrorism. The government does what it needs to do. Citizens also have something to do, specifically to remain vigilant," said Guibai Gattama, president of the United for Cameroon Coalition.
In an attempt to tighten security in downtown Yaounde, authorities have also given street hawkers jackets with numbers to clearly identify them, something that many say makes them feel secure.
"I am proud of this. If we have a problem we will be able to call quickly," said a taxi driver Alhadji Abdulai.
"It's a great initiative. We need to help Cameroonians to keep up their moral up in relation to the situation and to stay strong and solid," said another Yaounde resident, Marie Elisabeth Makokam.
"This will affect all levels of society and help raise awareness, and together we can fight this gangrene," said another resident, Claude Touchan.
The campaign also comes as the government introduced a raft of measures to tighten security including a ban on burqas, in Maroua, as well as hawking and begging.
Authorities in Cameroon's main port of Douala have also banned burqas.
In northern Camerooon, authorities have also shut down some mosques and Islamic schools, and imposed a curfew on bars after 6 p.m. local time.
In Yaounde, there is a constant reminder of new security measures, with the heavy presence of police through out the city, cracking down on informal hawkers and youngsters in the street.
Many people say they no longer hang around the city late for fear of attacks, preferring to stay home rather than socialise.
Arama Janneh Doumbouya, who originates from Mali, is a Muslim who works in a travel agency in Yaounde.
She settled in Cameroon 10 years ago. But today, she said there is growing fear and mistrust amongst the communities and says Muslims are being stigmatised.
Some companies have banned women from wearing the hijab for fear they could be used to hide explosive devices.
"With the issue of Boko Harram, we no longer dress like we used to dress before, because when you wear a hijab for you to enter some offices it is very complicated even to have a taxi, even to go out to the market and all that, it is very complicated. They find you like a suspect may be somebody who is wearing a bomb on them which leads to police men and police women searching you. There is no difference between a man searching a man and a woman a woman searching a woman. So I think with the issue of terrorism dressing in a hijab has become very very difficult," she said.
Just last week, Boko Haram militants massacred six villagers in Cameroon before the overnight attack was repelled by government soldiers, who killed 12 of the Islamist fighters, a defence ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
The raid was launched during the night from Wednesday (August 12) to Thursday (August 13) on the village of Blamé in Cameroon's Far North region, where the Nigerian Islamists have stepped up attacks in recent months. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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