WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On July 25, a suicide attack in the northern Cameroonian town of Maroua killed 19 people just three days after a double suicide explosion left 13 dead and 50 wounded.
“The Department of State warns US citizens of the high risk of traveling to Cameroon. Boko Haram’s leaders have stated and demonstrated through their actions that they are actively seeking to kidnap westerners, including US citizens.”
This latest travel warning, the release explained, renewed a previous advisory against travel to Cameroon that was issued by the State Department on February 4, 2015 to underline “the continuing threat of armed attacks, bombings and kidnappings.”
Americans, according to the release, should especially avoid any travel to the northern regions of Cameroon because of widespread terrorism and other violent criminal activity.
The release specifically cited the towns of Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, and Douala, the country’s largest city, as particularly dangerous, where burglaries, armed robberies, theft by intimidation and “snatch-and-grab” crimes are commonplace.
The US Embassy in Cameroon can only provide limited consular services in remote and rural areas due to security situation in the country, according to the release.
Boko Haram began staging attacks on northeastern Nigeria in 2009 and expanded its reach to Cameroon in 2013, moving on to Chad and Niger in 2015. Extremists want to establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law in the region.
