YAOUNDE, Cameroon
Fourteen people were killed and 20 injured late Saturday when a female bomber blew herself up in Maroua city, capital of Cameroon’s Far North Region, a government spokesman has said.
The attack was carried out by a 13-year-old girl, according to government spokesman Issa Tchiroma.
Last Wednesday, at least ten people were killed when twin suicide blasts shook the same city.
Regional efforts to reign in the Boko Haram militant group -- which has continued to stage deadly attacks in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon -- have recently been stepped up.
An 11,000-strong multinational force -- comprised of contingents from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Benin -- recently vowed to eradicate the group within twelve months.
The Cameroonian army, for its part, has deployed 6,000 troops along its border with Nigeria with the stated aim of preventing infiltration by Boko Haram militants.
