UN official slams attack on UN team working on Nigeria-Cameroon border

Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Mohamed Ibn Chambas on Wednesday strongly condemned the deadly attack on a UN team along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, which killed five people and injured several others.

The attack took place as the United Nations Technical Monitoring Team was conducting a field mission along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon in the vicinity of Hosere Jongbi, near Kontcha, Cameroon, as part of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) mandate, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

According to preliminary reports, at about 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday, an unknown armed group attacked the UN team and killed five persons and injured several others, Dujarric said. "The victims were one UN independent contractor, three Nigerians nationals and one Cameroonian national."

Chambas presented his sincere condolences to the families of the fallen persons, and wished a prompt recovery for those injured, the spokesman said. "He calls upon the authorities of Cameroon and Nigeria for swift action to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice.

The special representative reiterated the vital role of the CNMC in accomplishing the border demarcation, in compliance with a judgment of the International Court of Justice, and in contributing to stability and security in the region, the spokesman added.