Two suicide bombings kill at least 30 in north Cameroon

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/03/two-suicide-bombings-kill-north-cameroon

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At least 30 people have been killed in two suicide bombings in northern Cameroon, the latest violence to hit the area since dozens died in attacks in July blamed on the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

The attacks on Thursday took place three days after Boko Haram gunmen on horseback killed dozens of people in a village across the border in north-east Nigeria’s Borno state.

Related: More than 50 dead in suspected Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon and Nigeria

The fresh violence comes as the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, intensified the battle against Boko Haram.

The Nigerian army announced on Thursday it had reinstated about 3,000 soldiers who had been dismissed for alleged indiscipline in the battle against the insurgents.

Attacks by Boko Haram, which wants to impose a strict Islamic system in northern Nigeria, have killed at least 15,000 people and displaced 1.5 million since 2009.

Military and police sources in Cameroon said the first suicide bombing took place shortly before noon in the marketplace of Kerawa, a town on the border with Nigeria.

It was followed by a second attack about 200 metres from a military camp, said a police officer who asked not to be identified.

At least 30 were killed, the sources said, but there was no indication of the number of wounded.

About 50 people died in July in the same region after five suicide attacks that were blamed on Boko Haram.

Cameroon is fighting against Boko Haram as part of a five-nation coalition alongside Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Benin.