BAKASSI: 12 DEAD IN LATEST ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000754 SIPDIS STATE ALSO FOR AF/C, AF/W AND AF/RSA AFRICOM ALSO FOR POLAD YATES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CM EAID MOPS NI PBTS PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SOCI, MASS SUBJECT: BAKASSI: 12 DEAD IN LATEST ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN RUN-UP TO AUGUST 14 HANDOVER REF: (A) YAOUNDE 724 (B) YAOUNDE 687 (C) 07 YAOUNDE 1355 ¶1. (SBU) In the early hours of July 24, an unidentified armed group attacked a Cameroonian naval detachment at Kombo a Junea in the Bakassi Peninsula, killing two Cameroonian soldiers and wounding four. Later that same day, Cameroonian Minister of Defense Remy Ze Meka released statement claiming that ten assailants had been killed and eight captured along with a "flying boat with two outboard engines, one heavy 12.7mm machine gun, two light 7.62mm machineguns, five AK47s and one M16." In a statement to Reuters, Ebi Dari, a self-identified spokesperson for the Niger Delta Defense and Security Council (NDDSC) claimed responsibility for the attacks and claimed that only four of their men had been killed and two captured. ¶2. (SBU) This is the most recent in an escalating series of attacks in the Bakassi region (reftels). In a July 19 attack at Guidiguidi, according to the Government of Cameroon (GRC), 15 individuals in four speedboats attacked a Cameroonian patrol. Three Cameroonian soldiers were injured and two of the assailants were captured following a five-minute firefight. On June 9, assailants attacked a convoy transporting the Cameroonian Deputy Governor in the region; nine Cameroonian soldiers and the deputy governor were killed. In the first such incident, a surprise attack on November 21 killed 21 Cameroonian soldiers (ref c). The Niger Delta Defense and Security Council has claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing their opposition to transfer of Bakassi from Nigeria to Cameroon. The handover is scheduled for August 14, in keeping with the Greentree Accords, which implement a 2002 International Court of Justice decision awarding Bakassi to Cameroon. The United States is a witness to the Greentree Accords, which were signed under UN auspices in 2006. ¶3. (SBU) Comment. The conflicting accounts illustrate the tenuous nature of reports originating from Bakassi, but there is no doubting the increased anxiety in Cameroon as attacks against GRC forces escalate in the run-up to August 14. According to GRC military contacts, President Biya's faith in Cameroon's military has deteriorated to the point that, in the wake of the July 19 attacks, he decided to form a Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) dedicated to Bakassi. Existing BIR units have been effective in combating armed banditry in Cameroon's northern regions and stepped in to quell February civil violence that had been exacerbated by the regular military's mishandling of the situation. Post is reaching out to GRC officials and other diplomatic missions to gain more information about the threat in Bakassi and what assistance the GRC will seek from foreign partners. End comment. GARVEY