YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — The United States has given
Cameroonian police sophisticated equipment to monitor
airports and border crossings as part of continued cooperation
in the fight against Boko Haram.
Cameroonian police showed reporters the new surveillance
setup Tuesday at the Yaounde police headquarters.
On screens, officials can monitor movements at airports and
border crossings. They can also see images from scanners that
peer into parcels or bags, looking for suspicious content.
Cameroonian Police Chief Martin Mbarga Nguelle said the
U.S. was installing the scanning and identification systems in
Cameroonian airports and at border checkpoints to allow the
tracing of criminals who attempt to escape or hide among the
population.
The chief said that for security reasons, he could not give
details on the technology.
The U.S. also gave airport officials equipment to detect
explosives, something Cameroonian officials said has been a
growing concern.
The donation is part of broader U.S. cooperation in the fight
against Nigerian-based Boko Haram militants.
FILE - A Cameroonian soldier guards at an observation post
on a hill in the Mandara Mountain chain in Mabass
overlooking Nigeria, northern Cameroon, February 16, 2015.
Boko Haram militants kidnapped some 80 people from the
village a month earlier.
The U.S. has previously given military equipment to
Cameroonian troops fighting the militants in the north. U.S.
military advisers are also on the ground there to provide
training on how to detect and defuse explosives, among other
things.
Cameroon was drawn into the Boko Haram conflict when the
militants began attacking towns near the Nigerian border in
2013.
Thu Mar 24, 2016 2:55 am
