why this military base in cameroon would be a target? >> reporter: we heard one soldier was killed during this attack then the security forces have killed many boko haram fighters who have attacked the base. now the target of boko haram has expanded. initially it was security forces now they're attacking military bases both within nigeria and outside of it, as we just heard in cameroon. simply because the military in those countries are trying to take back territory. push back boko haram in areas they're known to operate especially in northeast nigeria. this is not the first that bee co-had a ram attacked a base in cameroon. remember ten days ago it attacked a base in northeast nigeria where soldiers from chad and cameroon were supposed to be operating. although during the attack the base contained only mostly nigerian soldiers at the time. >> ahmed, how much coordination is there between the nigerian authorities and cameroon authorities in fighting boko haram, and have they said anything on the latest attack against their military? >> w

contracting over into cameroon and attacking a military base there. now, on the niger nigerian side boko haram has attacked several times, and they're already over another military outpost. >> thank you very much for that. let's go to the phone line. we're joined by cameroon's minister in the capitol thanks very much, indeed, for joining us minister. we're hearing that cameroon forces managed to kill more than 200 boko haram fighters in that attack. can you tell us what happened? >> yes i'm delighted and pleased to confirm this information. in the early hours this morning the weather was foggy they thought they could over overwhen and surprise our forces. at the end of the day they were overwhelmed, and they were obliged to flee. what i can say is that, indeed, almost 200 people who were killed when they plead they liberateed many this has been the most heavy. >> but it didn't the first time that boko haram carried out attacks, is it? how much of a threat are they? >> they continue to be a threat, but the commitment of our military. the commitment of

cameroon.ahmed idris reported from nigeria. >> remember, boko haram is holding a lot of territory on the nigerian side, and it's trying to push its oppression into cameroon. >> then tuesday a suits bomber killing two and injuring 14. while the militant group continues to rampage across the region a new video from its pore pottered leader appeared wednesday celebrating the paris attacks. >> we are very happy with what happened in france. god is great. god is great. this is great news to hear, my brothers. >> more than 10,000 people were killed in the ongoing violence in nigeria just last year. >> on this edition of "inside story," boko haram has founded in 2002. the nigerian government has trouble standing up to the well-armed group with thousands of fighters and control of towns and villages across 20,000 square miles. last year boko haram kidnapped more than 270 nigerian school girls which drew international condemnation, more than 200 of those girls are still missing. the rising death toll in

the convoys in the area now in northern cameroon joined by troops from nigeria and cameroon to take onhe area. erica wood has more troops from chad rolled bye-bye to join troops from nigeria and cameroon. this is the beginning of a joint military assault involving regional forces. >> war, there is death. in war there is sacrifice. but we cannot be indifferent to what is going on because we are directly concerned and because we believe cameroon must not be alone as it faces boka haram. chad's police department urged other africans nieingsz join in. the issue of whether to form a broad coalition force is to be discussed with african leaders in the coming days there is a wider interest in launching al coordinated offense. the armed 40s has launched more and more attacks not just inside nigeria where its based but outside as well. as the violence spreads, thousands are being forced to escape. statistics say there are more than 12,000 refugees, men, women and children. among them are eight soldiers that fled the atrotsties of boka haram. >> the group caused international outrage last april

cameroon is fighting before before boko hamar. here is what the miles per hour sister had to say about the reamingnal effort. >> this is the right moment the right time to let the enter international community tom come together to destroy this phenomenon which we call boko hamar because as i keep on saying we are just a collateral victim of this problem, but given the scope the coalition is, the international community has to understand come together to materialize and put together in order to change this. the attacks took place in a village in a division when sforment there were an army was not based there. you think there are more than 100 villages kong tig once here it is important to have a military every kilometer. it is almost impossible. what about the information brought to their knowledge of the governor of the head quarter of the military. they organize themselves in order to go and fight them and chase them down. this is the. it's side-by-side with our army i think at the end of the day, we will get rid of them. >> troo

it is located north cameroon near northeastern nigeria. bring us up-to-date with the casualties and tell us why this base in cameroon was a target. >> well, so far what we know is that the security sources we've been talking to have confirmed one soldier dead and many, many boko haram fighters killed when they retaliated. it happened close to the northern city when boko haram fighters invaded that area and open fired on security personnel there. now what we're hearing from that particular area is the area is now calm. this is not the first time that boko haram has been targeting military formations both. last year they killed a lot of soldiers and the cameroonian soldiers followed them, and killed several boko haram fighters in the process. now the targeting of military formations in the northeast in particular and parts of cameroon by the security forces or rather by boko haram by security forces because security forces have been applying a lot of pressure, trying to push them out from areas they're holding and territoryies they are attac

the attack took place in villages in the far north of cameroon. the i amration minister says the assailants ransacked and burned houses. >> attacked a village and they destroyed destroyed. residences. they killed three people and many people children. hostages. to get rid of them by fighting them to the end. >> the latest boko hamar cross border raid comes as nigeria's neighbors tried to build support for a broader coalition. erica wood has more. troops from chad rolled bio their way to join soldiers from neighboring cameroon and nigeria. this is the beginning of a major joint military assault against boko hamar involving regional forces. >>ram involving regional forces. >>. we can not be indifferent to what is going on because we are directly concerned and because we believe cameroon must not be alone. >> in that fight, chad's president has urged other african nations toss join in the issue of whether to form a broad co coalition force is due to be discussed in the coming days. there is now a wider interest into launching a coordinated offense be

a town in northern cameroon early on sunday. they kidnapped dozens of people including 50 children. it's the latest in a series of recent cross-border attacks on towns in cameroon. boko haram is based in northeastern nigeria. the group has carried out many terrorist attacks in the country, as well as in chad, niger, and cameroon. the group has kidnapped many children, forcing boys to serve as combatants, and girls to marry. they're suspected of setting girls and young women on bombing missions. >>> an update on the ebola epidemic. the government of mali has declared the west african nation free of the disease. in october and november six people died from ebola in the country. since then no new cases have been reported there. the government said on sunday that health officials succeeded in containing the outbreak. it expressed thanks for their efforts, and for international support. the number of new confirmed cases is also following the three worst-hit countries, sierra leone, liberia and guinea. sierra leone and guinea reported

now the parliament on friday passed a resolution authorizing the deployment of troops to cameroon andut the meantime the troops are going to cameroon because nigeria has not requested assistance from chad to deal with the crisis. the original grouping the economic community of west africa state is talking about setting up a regional task force to deal with the threat of boko haram as well as other terror activities in the member state. this shows that countries in the region and countries observing what is happening in parts of nigeria and cameroon are really concerned with this development. we will probably see the deployment of foreign troops from maybe the united states britain and other west african countries as well as the member states of the african union but the big question is how will some nigeria take the document because many are very suspicious of the presence of foreign troops especially from the west on their own soil. >>> flooding killed dozens of people in southern africa malowi hit hard with 48 deaths and 100,000 people homeless and we report from south of the countr

stepping up the fight against boko haram cameroon's military says it has freed this of 80 hostages. and a much ---needed boost to popularity rates. french voters commend his handling of the paris terror attack. >> hello. first to our top story. e.u. foreign ministers have pledged to counter radicalized europeans returning from syria and iraq. meeting in brussels and kuwait, leaders vowed to use the most robust strategies at home and abroad to combat terrorism. ideas put forward including more support for police in the middle east and north africa cracking down on arms trafficking. they are going to lay out the finalized strategies in february. they said a continued dialogue was needed. >> part of the narrative is that we have a double standard. we only care about victims in europe. we know very well that the first victims of terrorists and terrorist acts are muslims and arab countries. we need to work on developing a dialogue and alliance of civilization and avoid any kind of perception of clash. >> douglas weeks is a london- based terrorist researcher. thank you for joining us. >>

the african islamist group boko haram has focused in nigeria, but has now moved over to cameroon.hey kidnapped at least 60 people a day after troops went to chad to fight boko haram. collect these chadian soldiers are on a -- >> these chadian soldiers are on a mission, fighting boko haram. the president came to greet them personally. based on the attacks on their tapers -- their neighbors doorsteps in neighboring nigeria and cameroon. >> we are also calling on the whole of the african continent and all african countries to come together to form a coalition force in older -- in order to face boko haram and its network. and to show the world that africa is capable of handling this problem. >> loaded was light and heavy weaponry, some 400 military vehicles entered cameroon. here, they received a hero's welcome. they have seen an increasing number of attacks on their soul you -- on their soil. the chadian troops headed for the main town in the country's far northern region. from there, they could cross into nigeria. chad has a reputation as one of the best militaries. it supported eff

cameroon shares a border with nigeria where boko haram is active. the army did manage to save some hostages by chasing the hid cappers, but could not pursue them once they reach the border going into nigeria. >> let's get the latest. joining us on the phone line from niger. ahmed, what are the whereabouts or information on the remaining hostages? >> well, basically cameroon shares a very long border with nigeria, hundreds of kilometers, hundreds of kilometers. so basically what is expected now they have crossed over into nigeria. indeed basically the suspicion is that they have been taken to particular locations. >> how much coordination can we expect between the cameroon as well as nigerian government? >> from the statement from minister of information it is clear that any--it crossed over to the border. so basically it is becoming more and more in these countries. they coordinate against boko haram. >> ahmed, thank you very much. giving us an update from niger. >>> in the democratic republic of congo police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of p

the convoy is now in the area in northern cameroon. they'll be joined by troops from nigeria and cameroon to fight boko haram. here's erika wood. >> troops from chad rolled by on their way to join soldiers from neighboring cameroon and nigeria. this is the beginning of a joint military seattle against boko haram. >> it is important to say that in war, there is dead, there is blood, there is sacrifice. but to us, we cannot be indifferent to what is going on, because we are directly concerned and believe cameroon must not be alone as it faces boko haram. >> in that fight chad's president urged other african nations to join in. the issue of whether to form a broad coalition force is due to be discussed at a meeting of african union leaders in the coming days. there is now a wider interest into launching a coordinated offense against boko haram that's because the armed forces recently launched more and more attacks, not just inside nigeria where it's based but outside as well. as the violence spreads thousands have been forced to escape. >

boko haram attacked omilitary base in neighboring cameroon. in the north of cameroon just across the border from northeastern nigeria. >>> thousands of people have better than gathering in the german city of dresden for an anti-islam march organized by pegida an organization gaining momentum in germany. against rise of islam in the west. german officials have urged people not to take part. neave barker has more from dresden. >> thousands of people here in dresden have gatheragain for anothergathered again foranother mass rally of pegida. tightening of germany's border and an end to the islamization of europe. there are also these banners. the names of those people who were killed in paris. last week. among the names ahmed maruet, the french policeman who was killed in the line of duty. people here from the pegida movement are expressing their solidarity with those killed in france. they perhaps feel, but they have violence some way verified their concerns that the muslim world poses something of a threat to traditional values here in germany.

cameroon says one of its soldiers was killed in these fights and 33 boko haram militants were killed when they tried to storm the base. cameroon launched air strikes against the group in the last month, and it's been really the only effective military force in the region to wage battle and win against boko haram. that is why the head of boko haram issued a statement warning cameroon and the president that he would unleash the same kind of cycle of violence on cameroon as he has in nigeria, that prompt ed prompted president to call for more international help. i think it's important to look not just at the northeastern of nigeria, also the countries who were there for effective, cameroon they all have thousands of refugees now from northeastern nigeria, who fled the fighting in nigeria, most of the regions which border that are also extremely poor themselves they face a very -- a huge humanitarian crisis and also a security crisis. but it seems to me cameroon who is feeling the brunt of that at the moment. >> much criticism while this is playing out, that the nigerian government doesn

over the weekend, chad deployed troops to help cameroon in its effort to help fight the armed group.orrespondent has the latest. >> reporter: the presence of 19 countries, including international organizations shows the urgency of the situation on the ground. but the general feeling is that much time has been wasted with these conferences going on and on and no particular force is on the ground to tackle boko haram. people think people are losing time especially in countries affected by boko haram violence. there has been little coordination between countries affected by boko haram violence countries like cameroon nigeria, chad and niger, there has been some formal military alliance between nigeria, chad and niger. they set up a task force to deal with cross-border crimes but there seems to be little coordination among all of them. on the side of nigeria and cameroon there has been some form of coordination unfortunately individual countries are tackling the problem the way they think best. what came up at this meeting is that there is little coordination between these member countri

joining the fight against boko haram, chad sense troops to cameroon to help combat the armed group. >> thousands rally for peace in ukraine as fighting between the army and pro-russian rebels intensifies in the east of the country. >> we'll begin with more breaking news out of libya where the self declared government in tripoli says it will not attend u.n. backed talks in geneva next week but is willing to negotiate if those talks are moved to libya. the rival eelected government has declared a ceasefire while the tripoli based government declared one friday. in the last three months, heavy fighting between militia's has killed 600 people. >> we are joined now from london. when we last spoke to you in the last hour, we talked about the problems that have beset libya right now. i suppose this is a testament to those problems when we hear that one of the self-declared ghosts said it is not going to take part in the talks if they're in geneva. what do you make of that? >> on the one hand, yes this is the g.n.c. attempt to go reject and scuttle the geneva talks yet on the other hand, it's

this is basically chad, nigeria and cameroon. nigeria prefers to have a commission of west african states to head the anti boko haram onslaught. they want forces from ghana sierra leone countries like liberia and other parts of west africa instead of chad and cameroon. countries like chad were very keen to fight boko haram in a very tight position, because chad has a lot to lose, because it has got great trade relations with nigeria most of the livestock from chad are taken from market in nigeria. there's a lot that comes from nigeria to chad and the road that links them is closed by boko haram. this is one of those forces deployed to try to take on boko haram. from what we are hearing from diplomats, there is the likelihood of having two forces fighting boko haram, one inside the country allowed by nigeria which is echoed and other by the forces of cameroon and chad fighting boko haram along the border. >> hamad, thank you very much. he is reporting for us from chad. boko haram is high on the agenda at african union summit. a fo

boko haram expanded its activities to chad niger and cameroon. since 2009, under their leader boko haram has become violence. staging an armed campaign against the nigerian government and civilians in the north of the country. loosely translated it means western education is forbidden. in the last year they have stepped up attacks on schools. most notably abducting 300 schoolgirls from chibok in april. most are missing. al jazeera took these pictures after four attacks killed 100 students. in one, 32 were killed at a boarding school. every building was burnt down. attacks have become common in areas where boko haram operates. recently released satellite images shows the extent of damage - survivors of a january 3rd attack say boko haram storm through, torching everything in its wake. in 2013 nigerian president declared a state of emergency in the three states boko haram concentrates its campaign. >> it controls an area half the sides of pennsylvania. 1.5 million nigerians had to flee their homes. boko haram uses young women in the attacks. in nov

>> the problem is they are no longer located in cameroon. they stormed the villages with no defense because they are dealing with defenseless people. when they commit their action and take hostages to their own base in nigeria unfortunately we don't have any leverage that we can use in order to free them except to fight with them in order to release the hostages. >> are you getting any cooperation from neighboring nigeria, from their security forces their military in terms of helping track down these hostages and also to take on boko haram? >> in nigeria to fight them to release the hostages we have just received permission to cross the border, but in the days ahead i wonder if this will not be possible, because really we're being victimized by them. >> thank you for talking to al jazeera. that was cameroon's information minister giving us an update on these 24 out of the 80 kidnapped by boko haram across the nigerian cameroon border have now been freed. >> turkey's president shares his first cabinet meeting. hit critics call ate grab for po

. >>> the nigerian armed group boko haram kidnapped hundreds in cameroon. >>> why thais are celebrating the drop in oil prices while mike cairns are not. mariannas aremariners aremalasians are not. >>> fighting apparently between the army and the houthi fighters who took control of part of the country last summer. first of all can you confirm that there is quiet now on the streets surrounding the presidential palace because state tv is reporting there is a ceasefire. >> there is a ceasefire here but there are also clashes heard every now and then and even sometimes have explosions. so i do believe that there is a ceasefire intact but it would take aat least an hour for all the field fighters to know that or that would reach them. there are still clashes as of now but it is most likely earlier in the day and a ceasefire is taking place and political powers are negotiating with the government and with the houthis that are trying to solve the problem. it is possible a military council will be formed where all parties will be taking place. later today. >> u.n. brokered deal being broken wha

so as you say, that is some good news and it comes as chad has sent 2,000 troops into cameroon to tryuary launched far more brazen attacks into cameroon territory and not just cross border raids where in the past we have seen them attack villages kill, kidnap. now they are attacking military installations in cameroon and threatening the president with the same level of violence as they unleashed on northeastern nigeria and that's why chadian troops have come in to reinforce the cameroonian ones there. >> thank you. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," a second death tax. that's what a tax reform advocate says about president obama's plan to hike taxes on wealthy to give more relief to the middle class. we'll talk about that next. when the flu hits, it's a really big deal. the aches. the chills. the fever. an even bigger deal? everything you miss out on... family pizza night. the big game. or date night. why lose out to the flu any longer than you have to? prescription tamiflu can help you get better 1.3 days faster. that's 30% sooner. call your doctor right away. and attack the flu vi

now they seem to be crossing into cameroon to carry out their attacks.he second time was some villages. the second time is a village. where they also abducted children and killed four people >> and it's the level of violence that boko haram are inflicting on civilians that is incredibly worrying. >> yes of course it is very worrying. for nigeria. it has been very very upsetting. many civilians, thousands have been killed. and now the group seems to be crossing into cameroon which is causing a lot of concerns to many people especially the cameroonian authorities. that's why last week the cameroonian president has called for assistance from chad. chad has sent its troops to cameroon to help the country fight the insurgency by boko haram, who seem to be gaining -- at least gaining grounds now and crossing into carry out their attacks. >> okay. thank you very much on those -- on that news that boko haram crossing over into cameroon. >>> now, tens of thousands of people have been marching in the russian region of chechnya to rally against the french magazine

cameroon said they seized boko haram equipment after the group fled. the group is centered in nigeria. more details on that attack by boko haram. >> the fight lasted for almost four to five hours. then at the end of the day at the end of the day they were overwhelmed. almost 400 people were killed. there have been with the people who are ready to sacrifice their life impossible to cross. nigeria is concerned there is no problem. the government is always open, ready to exchange information. join to combine the effort. our principle is california is cameroonian forces the collaboration is nigeria government and the military, no problem we are ready to cooperate with nigeria. >> well, that is ahmed idris in nigeria, more than 200 boko haram were killed, lasting over two hours. this is not first time boko haram has attacked cameroon, is it? >> absolutely. this is not the first time. boarmboko haram has launched attacks across the border into cameroon many times. one of the most brazen attacks of boko haram on cameroon territory, they killed some soldiers a

boko haram expanded its activistsies to neighbouring niger, chad and cameroon.r their leader they have become violence. staging an armed campaign against the government and civilians in the north of the country. loosely translated the name means western education is forbidden. they have stepped up attacks on schools. abducting nearly 300 schoolgirls from chibok in april. most of those girls are missing. al jazeera took the pictures in march after four attacks killed more than 100 students. in one 32 students were killed at a boarding school. a building on that campus was burnt down. attacks like that are common in areas where boko haram operates. recently released satellite images by amnesty international shows the extend of damage survivors from the 3rd january attack say boko haram stormed through. in 2013, nigerian president jonathan goodluck declared a state of emergency in the three states where boko haram pressed. it's estimated that boko haram controls towns and villages across 20 square miles in the north-east. it's an area half the size of pennsylvania.

some have been rescued by the cameroon military, but dozens more in nigeria. as the crisis deepens, serious problems within the military have an exposed. but this is no longer a problem just for this country. it has become a regional one. the growing insecurity has prompted neighboring chad to deploy some 2000 troops. it has one of the best equipped and trained armies in the region. the soldiers are in northern cameroon to bolster the fight against boko haram. with concern in west africa growing, the president of ghana has called on europe and the african union to do more. >> i am encouraged by the news that chad moved through cameroon. terrorism affects the whole of the world. we cannot ignore terrorism in any part of the world, because it has a tendency to grow like a cancer. >> nigeria's neighbors have long promised to work together against boko haram, but so far there has been little cooperation between the armies, and too much mistrust. that has played right into the hands of the jihadists, whose brutal campaign of violence is spreading. bbc news, nigeria

the group attacked the village in cameroon on sunday. at this point it appears three were kill and 80 abducted. in addition 80 homes were destroyed. it cams as troops were de-floyd fight boko haram in northern nigeria. they'll be joining soldiers from cameroon and nigeria. erica wood has more. >> translation: troops from chad rolled which on the way to join soldiers on the way to cameroon and nigeria. this is the beginning of an assault on boko haram, involving regional forces. >> it's important to stay that in war there is in death. in war there is blood and sacrifice. if goes to us. we cannot be indifferent to what is going on. we are concerned and believe that cameroon must not be alone. >> in that fight, chad's president urged other african nations to join in. the issue of whether to form a broad coalition force is due to be discussed at a meeting of african union leaders in the coming days. there's a wider interest into launching an offense against boko haram, because the armed force launched more and more attack not just inside nig

they sent hundreds of troops into cameroon last week to launch attacks against the armed group. >>> toon where thousands have gathered in the hezbollah strong hold. the group's heard is addressing the crowd right now. tensions have been high between the lebanese group and israel after two israeli soldiers and the u.n. peace keeper were killed on wednesday, this follows an attack in israel which killed six hezbollah fighters. crossing over to nicole johnston who joins us from beirut. nicole what has he been saying? >> so far the speech has been quite long and ongoing. and he has congratulated the families. he called it a quality operation that took place, and he also emphasized the family's sacrifice referring to the fighter who was killed in an attack in syria, the son of a senior hezbollah leader who had previously been assassinated in 2008. he referred to the iranian general who was killed in that syria mission, saying that there had been a mixing of iranian and lebanese blood on syrian soil. he then moved on to the next part of his speech. it seems to have been quite broken up makin

joining the fight against boko haram, chad sense troops to cameroon to help combat the armed group. >> thousands rally for peace in ukraine as fighting between the army and pro-russian rebels intensifies in the east of the country. >> we'll begin with more breaking news out of libya where the self declared government in tripoli says it will not attend u.n. backed talks in geneva next week but is willing to negotiate if those talks are moved to libya. the rival eelected government has declared a ceasefire while the tripoli based government declared one friday. in the last three months, heavy fighting between militia's has killed 600 people. >> we are joined now from

. >> the terrorist group is being blamed for a mass kidnapping in cameroon.cted 80 people from two northern villages. many of them children. meantime hundreds gathered for a rally saturday in the capital of chad denounces boko haram. troops from chad are heading to cameroon to try and help fight the militants. chad's president was at the border with cameroon as the troops left. >> translator: we cannot be indifferent to what is going on because we are directly concerned and because we believe cameroon must not be alone as faces this nebula. >> chad's president also said attacks by boko haram, destroy cameroon's economy. the president there saying international cooperation is needed to try and take down the militant group. >>> meantime we head to another west african country. mali has been declared ebola free. >> the government there in the mission for ebola response say that there have not been any new cases in six weeks. >> with only a handful of deaths mali was one of the least affected countries to begin with. globally we want to remind you that there's be

on the side of cameroon there has been some form of coordination, unfortunately individual countries k -- tackling the problem the way they think is best. but there is little coordination between the countries battling boko haram. >> translator: [ inaudible ] without [ inaudible ] in the lcdc will have effective adequate [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: people will want to see more action quickly on the ground to solve the problem and to stop the humanitarian crisis developing in both nigeria and cameroon. >>> gunmen in central african republic have seized two aid workers. >>> a court in bahrain is expected to announce a verdict of a human rights activist. he has already spent years in prison for taking part in protests. >>> egypt's president has said that human rights violations are bound to happen due to exceptional circumstances in the country. al-sisi still described this as being unacceptable. he was speaking on a national holiday honoring the police. >>> it comes as egyptian activist has been transferred to a prison hospital after being on a hunger strike for 78 days. he is protesti

niger there has been an alliance between nigeria chad and cameroon setting up a border to deal withgion, unfortunately little coordination among all of them. that is on one side. on the side of nigeria and cameroon there has been some form of yard nation, unfortunately individual country is are tackling the problem the way they think best. what came up at this meeting in particular is that there is little coordination between these member countries fighting boko haram in that region as explains by the nigerian ambassador. >> coalition the military contingent from chad and niner without. [ inaudible ] in the. [ inaudible ] no one would pictures it. before the decision to withdraw. >> reporter: now people will want to see more action, quickly on the ground to solve the problem and to stop the human terrier problem developing in both nigeria and cameron. >>> a mallmali an man has been given french citizenship for helping in an attack in paris. he led several people in to the freezer in the kosher grocery store after a gunman attacked it. he was publicly recognized by france's interior

you mentioned that attack in cameroon. boko haram, said in a recent -- his most recent video message that he will unleash the same violence on cameroon as he has done in northeastern nigeria because basically they are the one military in the region who have promised to take on boko haram and have been fairly effective in doing so. they did launch air strike again the militant group in the last few weeks. does beg the question that if cameroon can do some kind of effective work, why is the nigerian military struggling so much to make headway against this five-year raging insurgency in the northeast of the country. >> yeah. the exact same question i was going to ask, too. i understand we press nigerian officials all the time for specifics what they're doing in the north. it's rare that we get insight. we appreciate the update from johannesburg south africa. thank you very much. >>> especially when you consider just how much attention was paid to the terrorist attack in paris, a lot of people complaining they wish the world p

cameroon has 7,000 troops up in the far north precisely because of the threat boko haram poses. battalions the mobile intervention battalion, clearly gave chase to the boko haram militants as they fled back towards the border and managed at some point to secure the release of 24 of those hostages but as you say, 56 are presumably still in the hands of boko haram somewhere in that border region where boko haram has holed itself up where nigeria, niger, chad and cameroon all meet and also on the islands of lake chad. >> what do we know about these 56 many of them women and children still being held captive? is boko haram making a demand for ransom? do we know anything about their status? >> reporter: well boko haram certainly hasn't said anything yet, as is their want. look back at the kidnapped girls, we have heard little about their fate. there was discussion about some kind of cease-fire in negotiations with the government about setting them free. that was clearly scoffed at by the head of boko haram, who then said most of them had been married off. this spate of kidnappings co

council for boko haram and council called for 7500 strong regional forces troops from nigeria and cameroond and also very high on the agenda is a conflict in south sudan and the pace of peace talks that started in january last year both sudan's president and rebel leader have been holding direct talks to move forward, the peace talks, still a lot of contention on past sharing but a lot of pressure as well on the two the eu have threatened sanctions, ebola ravaging the poorest countries in content has been on the agenda and something elsworth noting is push for eu for funding and the organization almost entirely depends on foreign funding and good will of member states and some are unwilling or unable to commit resources and makes it very difficult for it to do its work and respond to situations as soon as they arrive. >>> major battle between chad and boko haram in northern cameroon a the army said it killed 120 during the confrontation and soldiers and military vehicles sent into cameroon from chad to help deal with the growing threat from the armed group and chad is struggling to cope wi

boko haram fighters who have kidnapped at least 80 people mostly women and children in northern cameroon. it happened in villages close to nigeria where the group originates. cameroon's minister has been talking to al jazeera. >>> attacked a village and they destroyed 80 residences. they killed three people and many people including children, teenagers, were taken hostages. i think at the end of the day we have no chance to get rid of them by fighting them through area. >> boko haram is also suspected of having carried out a suicide attack in northeastern nigeria. five people have been killed, 35 wounded, all happened in a town of potascam. a bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives. >> 42 days without a new case of ebola, in the last two days it's killed six people in mali. people are being advised to maintain basic hygiene standards. >>> severe flooding in malawi heavy rains are forecast for the last couple of weeks. katherine sawyer reports. >> she was hoping to have in april, she had enough in storage to last her until then. then the floods came and she lost everything including

to help cameroon in its fight against boko haram on its territory. conducted cross-border raids into cameroon and threatened to unleash the same kind of violence in that country as it has in northeastern nigeria. clearly, more needs to be done. the u.n. special representative of west african has called on all the regional powers to put aside their differences and to coordinate better in the fight against boko haram, which is firmly entrenched in the border areas where these companies meet nigeria, niger, cameroon and chad. the president of nigeria has made an appearance where he met with wounded soldiers in boko haram attacks and also talked to the thousands who have been displaced as a result of the massacre in baga. he says the nation was traumatized by boko haram's excesses. >> as a president, i feel traumatized whenever i hear about this. let me assure all nigerians and displaced persons, the government is working very hard to make sure you don't stay in these camps for too long. >> reporter: nigeria has said it has and will not cede any territor

. >>> chad has reportedly sent solders to cameroon to fight the nigerian armed group, boko haram.pected boko haram fighters attacked the army base earlier this week. let's go to the capitol. first of all, how much of a unified regional african plan is coming together to confront boko haram? >> reporter: well, there have been talks on regional basis, especially the region black, of course the economic community of west africa state. last year the chairman of the commission the president of ghana said on two occasions that they are considering setting up a regional force to tackle boko haram and bring to an end the violence unleashed by this group on people in the subregion. now cameroon has taken the initiative of asking chad to help with troops to assist in the situation. cameroon thought this was largely a nigerian problem, until they started attacking chad on its own territory. this is becoming more and more a situation whereby the countries in the region are becoming more and more afraid of what boko haram is doing in nigeria. cameroon and chad are definitely not members of the

that's because the cameroon military is taking boko haram on.ast month they've launched air strikes against boko haram. that is in sharp contrast to the actions of the chapian good and niger, all of whom have take own thousands of nigerian refugees but seem to be dealing with the boko haram issue more as a humanitarian threat and issue rather than a security one. to a certain extent allowing boko haram to sort of congregate at least along the border areas without sending in to take them down. there certainly hasn't been the coordinated effort promised in meetings between the various governments to actually combat boko hard action in any coordinated military fashion. >> yeah. the nigerian government may be working to stomp out boko haram, but not in a way that we can see. from the overview and maps that we showed it appears as if other nations are doing more to attack than nigeria. we'll continue to until story. live in johannesburg, south africa. >>> okay, we turn now to weather. nearly 70% of the u.s. has experienced below normal temperatures i

many people are fleeing across nigeria's borders into niger, chad and cameroon.malone reports. >> reporter: this village in northern nigeria that was destroyed by boko haram six months ago, every week she crosses into cameroon to buy essential goods. she says the nigerian government is not protecting them. >> translator: we have no government. our village was burnt to the ground. it is now in ruins. we have no other place to go. >> reporter: she is one of tens of thousands of nigerians who cross this border to escape boko haram. they are working with the cameroonian army to fight against the armed group. they are worried that boko haram will launch attacks on cameroon from here. >> translator: they come here on a regular bases day and night. we must remain vigilant all the time. >> reporter: some of them have witnessed violence but here at least, they are starting to feel safe again. >> i enjoy myself here. i'm grateful because they are providing us with something to eat and something to wear. >> reporter: boko haram has killed thousands of people since 2009. sur

this as thousands of troops from chad are beginning to arrive in cameroon to help in the battle against boko haram. >>> fierce fighting in ukraine. ukraine's government now saying it reclaimed almost all of the area at the airport. this is the view of the airport. this as thousands attended a rally in kiev when thousands were killed last week. kiev blames the attack on pro-russian separatists. >>> the faa is investigating a near disaster at jfk over the weekend. a jetblue flight barrelling down the runway after being cleared for takeoff when the pilot hit the brakes. another pilot crossed the runway. the plane crossed without authorization. the closest the planes came to each other was 2,800 feet. >>> another incident. this time a cause of a smoke conditions to force the delta jet from atlanta to japan to return after takeoff. a pilot on another plane reported smoke from the delta's landing gear after it departed from the atlanta's hartsfield-jackson airport. >>> the super bowl xlix is set. it is featureing the two best teams. the patriots crushed the colts, 45-7. in the nfc, the seahaw

cameroon has faced cross-border attacks in boko haram. the united nations is planning an offensive against rebels in the east of the democratic republic of congo. the f.d.l.r. fighters were given until january 2nd to surrender. as moll come reports, some lay down their weapons, many are at large. the fighters from the rwandan f.d.l.r. have been on the run. now they surrendered, they are among the majority of fighters that came out. congo in the u.n. will attack those in the bush. we are allowed to meet one fighter. the group is i accused of atrocities and leaders say they committed genocide. this man came to congo as a refugee and joined later because he had little choice. >> we were eight children. the others were in the forest when the rwandan army attacked. >> i thought when will it stop. that's when i joined. what will you do. >> after years living as outlaws, people are not in good health. these medics treat the sick. most would be better off at home in rwanda. they want to go home but insist on a dialogue with rwanda to address the

they're supporting the government's decision to deploy troops to cameroon. chadian soldiers will help the cameroon that was attack by boko haram earlier this month. chad field threatened by boko haram's presence in the region. >>> egypt's teachers could be expelled for protesting, taking part in campus politics or found possessing weapons. the country's president al sisi signed it into effect. al jazeera journalists imprisoned in egypt for over a year has asked canada's prime minister stephen harper to talks to egyptian officials. mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste were accused of broadcasting false news and hoping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the court has ordered a retrial. 385 days since they were put hyped bars. >>> still ahead here on al jazeera caught up in the syrian conflict, the u.n. said thousands of palestinian refugees trapped inside yarmouk camp are desperate. >>> anger after a boat capsizes on the yangtze river killing 22 people. >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> its disgraceful... the only

>> we've already seen attacks over the border into cameroon in fact, many schools in northern cameroonosed as a result of boko haram attacks. so yes, the conflict is spreading. >> we can go back, for example, bring back our girls, the schoolgirls who were kidnapped. a huge campaign to do something about that on social media, which then gradually fizzled away, as these things do and the issue has never been resolved. where does the blame lie for that? >> well unfortunately, the incident that happened isn't an isolated incident. abductions by boko haram have been a consistent feature of the conflict. in november, more than 100 people were kidnapped by boko haram in northeastern nigeria and we saw further kidnappings at the end of december of last year. so really this problem is still going on and more needs to be done to end the abductions. >> and you have to point a finger at the government not doing enough? >> we've already seen the government say that it wants to launch an operation to take back bagr. however, boko haram remains in control of more than 20 major towns in northeastern n

it's news comes hours after a major battle between chad's army and boko haram fighters of the cameroon town. it killed more than 120 fighters in the confrontation. a convoy of soldiers and military vehicles were sent into cameroon from chad to help deal with the growing threat of the armed group. >>> chad is struggling to cope with the influx of refugees as thousands of civilians have fled into chad from nigeria. we have the story. >> reporter: on the shores of lake chad, the crisis formed by boko haram is laid bear beyond nigeria's borders. these are some of the victims of the group driven from the villages of the northeast. western chad is now their home. the camps here are quickly filling up as hundreds of refugees cross the border daily. >> we've seen a massive influx of nigerian refugees from chad. more than 11,000 people have arrived during this period. the majority of the refugees are civilians. >> the refugees also include members of pro government militia. this man is one of them. >> they try to kill our people. they attacked, and the ability to tack attack, the nigerian milit