Cameroon is creating a new Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) unit for the Lake Chad region as jihadist attacks intensify and continue to drive thousands of residents from their homes, Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo has announced.
The BIR Lake Chad unit marks an important move in an area where isolated, poorly resourced outposts have repeatedly weakened counterterrorism operations. But its effectiveness will hinge on establishing lasting territorial control and building close cooperation with security forces in neighbouring countries, writes Raoul Sumo Tayo, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies.
