Cameroon Escalates Military Offensive Against Biafra Militants In Bakassi Peninsula
Cameroon’s air force has launched airstrikes on the creeks of Akpankanya village in the Bakassi Peninsula, a disputed territory in the Gulf of Guinea, to flush out Biafra rebel group the Dragon Fighter Marine, on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
The airstrikes were part of a military offensive against the separatist militants, who have been carrying out attacks on oil installations and security forces in the area. However, no casualty has been recorded as at the time of report.
The attack came days after a suspected suicide bomber blew up oil installations at the maritime border of Bakassi, causing a huge fire and environmental damage.
The Dragon Fighter Marine is one of the militant groups that claim to be fighting for the independence of Biafra, a secessionist movement that seeks to break away from Nigeria and form a new country in the south-eastern region.
The group is believed to be affiliated with the Biafra Nations League (BNL), a separatist organization that operates in the coastal areas of Nigeria and Cameroon. The BNL has threatened to disrupt international businesses and oil exploitation in the Gulf of Guinea.
The group has also claimed responsibility for several attacks on Cameroon’s Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), an elite military unit that is deployed to secure the Bakassi Peninsula. The BIR has been accused of human rights violations and abuses against the local population.
The BIR has retaliated with raids and arrests of suspected militants and sympathizers. In one of the incidents, two militants were killed by the BIR after they executed several members of the unit in the area.
The conflict in the Bakassi Peninsula has also attracted the attention of some Biafra separatist leaders based abroad, such as Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based activist who posted on Twitter that he would aid the militant groups, which he referred to as the Biafran Naval wing.
The Bakassi Peninsula has been a source of tension and dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon for decades. The territory was ceded to Cameroon by Nigeria in 2006, following a ruling by the International Court of Justice. However, some Nigerians still claim ownership of the land and its resources.
