At least 32 killed in suicide bombing on Cameroon market

At least 32 people are believed to have been killed and 86 others injured in a quadruple suicide bomb attack on a market in northern Cameroon. The attackers struck during the morning of 25 January, entering the market in the town of Bodo in the country’s Far North region. Two of the attackers targeted the entry and exit points of the market, while the other two detonated their explosives within the market itself. There has been no claim of responsibility. This is not the first time that Bodo has been targeted. In December 2015, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at the town’s entrance after locals stopped them from entering the market. Suicide bombers are believed to be crossing the border from Nigeria to stage attacks. Officials suspect that Islamist extremist group Boko Haram is responsible for the bombings, reflecting the fact that it is highly active in the region.

Four suicide bombers attacked a market and town on Monday in Cameroon's Far North region near the border with Nigeria, killing at least 28 people and wounding 65 others, local officials say.

Two attackers targeted the market in Bodo, and two others detonated explosives in town, said the region's Gov. Midjiyawa Bakari. The wounded have been taken to hospitals in Kousseri, he said.

"We have information the four bombers came from Nigeria. We are investigating where they spent the night before attacking the market," said Bakari.

A Cameroon troop commander, Gen. Jacob Kodji, confirmed the attack and said Nigeria's Islamic extremist group Boko Haram is suspected. He said some accomplices may still be in hiding.



"We have deployed soldiers to the area to assist the local defence group because we are informed a few fighters may have escorted them (the bombers) to Cameroon from Nigeria," he said.

A Cameroonian soldier walks in the town of Fotokol, on the border with Nigeria, after clashes occurred on Feb. 4, 2015 between Cameroonian troops and Nigeria-based Boko Haram insurgents. A string of suicide bombers took more lives Jan. 25 in the far north town of Bodo. (Reinnier Kaze/AFP/Getty Images)

Suicide bombers are suspected to be crossing the border from Nigeria to stage their attacks, killing dozens in the region in the last month, officials said. On Jan. 18, a 14-year-old suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the region, killing four, in the fifth attack on a mosque in Cameroon in less than a month.

The Islamic militants began stepping up attacks early last year on neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, countries contributing in efforts to crush Boko Haram.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed about 20,000 people and displaced 2.3 million, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.