AFRICOM Funds Humanitarian Mission in Cameroon

The mission, planned and led by Cameroonian Soliders, provided medical assistance and education to more than 1,250 people displaced due to Boko Haram violence.



By Bardha Azari Special Operations Command Forward – West Africa Public Affairs Jun 08, 2015
View Gallery
fallback
Gallery contains 3 images

KOURGUI, Cameroon (May 13, 2015) – Cameroonian Soldiers from the Battalion d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) led a major humanitarian assistance operation in Kourgui to help internally displaced people who were forced to leave their homes due to Boko Haram violence. Over 1,250 internally displaced men, women and children and others from the Kourgui area received medical screening, prevention education and treatment from the BIR and the local medical personnel with the help of funding from the U.S. Africa Command Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program.

The event provided an opportunity for military and local leaders to open a dialogue on how to best protect vulnerable civilian populations. Local Cameroonian district officials attended the event and discussed with key BIR leadership and participants about building resilience against violence extremist organizations in their community.

“Above all, operations such as these are the most important,” said a zone commander, emphasizing the value of the defense forces in service of the civilian population.

The community as a whole expressed their deep gratitude to the BIR for providing the much needed medical assistance. “Today is our day; we have been found; our prayers have been answered,” said one of the citizens receiving medical assistance from the BIR personnel.

Improved relationships between the community, the military and governmental leadership foster trust and build resiliency in areas of diminishing economic situations and in face of the persistent threat of Boko Haram activity and recruitment in the extreme north region.  “The BIR’s desire to strengthen their Civil Military Operation capacity demonstrates their efforts to further professionalize their force, while at the same time, understanding the importance of addressing the needs and concerns of their civilian populations,” said a U.S. captain from the Civil Military Support Element - Cameroon.

BIR planned, resourced and led the Medical Civil Action Program with the support of a U.S. forces team and the Civil Military Support Element - Cameroon from the U.S. Special Operations Command Forward – West Africa, who provided supplemental medical supplies and limited technical assistance before and during the event.

More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord
NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”
Read more
More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord
NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”
Read more
More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord
NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”
Read more