Dakar, Wednesday 01 February - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, strongly condemns yesterday’s deadly attack against a United Nations Technical Monitoring Team that 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.

According to preliminary reports, on Tuesday 31 January around 2pm, an unknown armed group attacked the UN Team and killed five persons and injured several others. The victims were one UN independent contractor, three Nigerians nationals and one Cameroonian national.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas presents his sincere condolences to the families of the fallen persons, and wishes a prompt recovery for those injured. He calls upon the authorities of Cameroon and Nigeria for swift action to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas reiterates 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.

Communication and Public Information Office
Kouider Zerrouk, Communication Chief – (+221) 33-869-8560 / 77- 3324928 – zerrouk@un.org
Angelita Mendy Diop, Public Information Officer – (+221) 33-869-8585 / 76-721-7892 – mendya@un.org