2015 Fotokol attack

2015 massacre by Boko Haram in CameroonJanuary 2025 2015 Fotokol attack the Boko Haram insurgency Cameroon 12.3773 14.2231 Fotokol, Cameroon 12.3773 14.2231 title,inline 4–5 February 2015 Massacre, mass shooting, arson 91 / 100 500 Boko Haram The 2015 Fotokol attack occurred on 4 and 5 February 2015 when Boko Haram militants reportedly killed at least 91 people by shooting and burning, and injured over 500 in Fotokol, Cameroon. The militants, who are based in northeastern Nigeria and active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon,https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/224829.htm Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 U.S. Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism 7 August 2014 also torched mosques and churches of the town.Boko Haram Shoot, Burn To Death Dozens Of Civilians In Cameroon http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/boko-haram-cameroon_n_6621180.html?ir=India Huffington Post 7 February 2015 5 February 2015https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-violence-chad-idUSKBN0L816820150204 Boko Haram kill more than 100 in Cameroon: local leader Reuters 4 February 2015 Madjiasra Nako Matthew Mpoke Bigg 12 October 2016 This attack came a day after the regional forces said it had driven Boko Haram from Gambaru, a Nigerian town close by.Boko Haram kills 90 civilians and wounds 500 in Cameroon attacks https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/05/boko-haram-kills-civilians-attacks-cameroon-border-nigeria-fotokol The Guardian 5 February 2015 22 April 2019 This was the second foreign country attack by the militants in 2015. This region of Niger is an area where refugees had arrived by the thousands seeking safety from Boko Haram attacks.Boko Haram attacks border towns in Niger https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2015/02/boko-haram-attacks-border-town-niger-150206124054962.html Al Jazeera 22 April 2019 Cameroonian troops and Chadian forces have been deployed as a regional force to fight back. The Chadian army has claimed to have killed around 200 militants.Boko Haram 'kill 70' in Cameroon border town of Fotokol BBC News 4 February 2015 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31141097 22 April 2019 The United Nations had also provided support with weapons, logistics, and operations for this multinational effort against Boko Haram. Background Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria.Walker Andrew 2016-02-04 Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/04/join-us-or-die-birth-of-boko-haram 2025-04-26 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 Throughout the following years, Abubakar Shekau unified militant Islamist groups in the region and continued to foment the rebellion against the Nigerian government, conducting terrorist attacks and bombings in cities and communities across the region.2013-08-12 Nigeria unrest: 'Boko Haram' gunmen kill 44 at mosque https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23676872 2025-04-26 BBC News en-GB On January 14, 2015, following a meeting between the Cameroonian Minister of Defense and Chadian President Idriss Déby, the Chadian government announced it would send troops to northern Cameroon to defend against Boko Haram attacks.2015-01-14 Le Tchad propose un «soutien actif» au Cameroun contre Boko Haram https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20150114-le-tchad-propose-soutien-actif-cameroun-contre-boko-haram 2026-04-07 RFI fr By January 28, Chadian soldiers had deployed to Fotokol, a border town separated from the Boko Haram-controlled Nigerian border town of Gamboru Ngala.2015-01-31 Cameroun: trois soldats tchadiens, 123 islamistes tués lors d'attaques de Boko Haram https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/909044/cameroun-trois-soldats-tchadiens-123-islamistes-tues-lors-dattaques-de-boko-haram.html 2026-04-07 L'Orient-Le Jour fr Fotokol had been attacked several times prior, most recently in September 2014. Chadian soldiers defended Cameroon in the battle of Bodo shortly after deployment, killing hundreds of Boko Haram fighters. Since the fall of Gamboru Ngala in the autumn of 2014, the Cameroonian town of Fotokol has seen many attacks by Boko Haram from Gamboru Ngala. Gamboru Ngala and Fotokol are separated by a 500 meter long bridge, and until February 1, Gamboru Ngala on the Nigerian side was controlled by Boko Haram, and Fotokol was controlled by Cameroonian and Chadian forces.Boko Haram: nouveaux bombardements aériens tchadiens au Nigéria https://www.jeuneafrique.com/depeches/4067/politique/boko-haram-nouveaux-bombardements-aeriens-tchadiens-au-nigeria/ 2026-05-06 JeuneAfrique.com fr-FR Cameroonian and Chadian forces seized Gamboru Ngala on February 3.2015-02-03 Lutte contre Boko Haram: les troupes tchadiennes pénètrent au Nigeria https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20150203-boko-haram-arm%C3%A9e-tchad-nigeria-cameroun-fotokol-gamboru 2026-05-13 RFI fr Massacre At dawn on February 4, Boko Haram militants launched a counter-attack, by-passing Chadian positions and attacking Fotokol directly. The first group of militants arrived from the north at 2:00 am, and the second group arrived at fajr prayer at 5:39am.2015-02-05 Exclusif : le récit de survivants de l'attaque de Fotokol sur VOA Afrique https://www.voaafrique.com/a/au-moins-800-combattants-boko-haram-tues-dans-l-extrene-nord-du-cameroun/2630584.html 2026-05-13 Voice of America frWikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150206-cameroun-fotokol-choc-attaque-sanglante-boko-haram-gamboru-civils-egorges-brules-fusilles/ 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.com When the second group arrived, the militants crossed the bridge and entered the town's main mosque. A third group entered Fotokol from the dry riverbed.Felix Bate February 18, 2015 Blood-soaked truck symbolizes Boko Haram's war without borders https://www.reuters.com/article/world/blood-soaked-truck-symbolizes-boko-harams-war-without-borders-idUSKBN0LM0IZ/ May 27, 2026 Reuters At least thirty people were killed and beheaded in the mosque, including the main marabout.Wikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150211-cameroun-fotokol-choc-attaque-boko-haram-nigeria-islamismeel-beid-bir-gambaru/?aef_campaign_date=2015-02-11&aef_campaign_ref=partage_aef&dlvrit=1112231 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.com The jihadists then entered three more mosques in the city, slaughtering everyone inside. The massacre lasted for nearly six hours, and only men were targeted. The great mosque and sixty houses were set on fire. Cameroonian forces intervened, with troops from Kousséri, Mora, and Kolofata dispatched as reinforcements. Some Chadian troops entered Fotokol from Gamboru Ngala. Clashes between Boko Haram and the government forces began around 10am and lasted until late in the morning. The jihadists were forced out of Fotokol by the afternoon.Wikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150205-cameroun-contre-offensive-boko-haram-fotokol-sanglante-gamboru-massacre-civils/ 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.comWikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150204-cameroun-violents-combats-fotokol-contre-boko-haram-tchad/ 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.com Casualties On the evening of February 4, local media reported that seven Cameroonian soldiers, nine Chadian soldiers, and between 50 and 100 jihadists were killed in the clashes.Cameroun : ce que l'on sait de l'attaque de Boko Haram à Fotokol https://www.jeuneafrique.com/33735/politique/cameroun-ce-que-l-on-sait-de-l-attaque-de-boko-haram-fotokol/ 2026-05-13 JeuneAfrique.com fr-FR The death toll later rose to 13 Chadians killed.Cameroun : 13 militaires tchadiens tués à Fotokol, force régionale en vue contre Boko Haram https://www.jeuneafrique.com/33726/politique/cameroun-13-militaires-tchadiens-tu-s-fotokol-force-r-gionale-en-vue-contre-boko-haram/ 2026-05-13 JeuneAfrique.com fr-FR Issa Tchiroma, Cameroon's Minister of Communications, said that 50 of the original 800 attackers were killed.Wikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https://www.237online.com/article-06428-boko-haram-1593-morts-des-deux-cotes-entre-dimanche-et-jeudi.html 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.com Initial reports by Agence France-Presse said that 70 civilians and six Cameroonian soldiers were killed, while Reuters said that upwards of 100 civilians were killed.Wikiwix Archives https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https://www.zonebourse.com/actualite-bourse/Boko-Haram-a-tue-une-centaine-de-personnes-a-Fotokol-au-Cameroun--19813806/ 2026-05-13 archive.wikiwix.com The leader of a local human rights organization said that 370 civilians were killed in the massacre and 248 were injured.2015-02-04 Premiers témoignages d'une attaque sanglante de Boko Haram à Fotokol https://observers.france24.com/fr/20150204-cameroun-fotokol-boko-haram-tchad-nigeria-armee-attaque-temoignages 2026-05-13 Les Observateurs - France 24 fr Cameroonian newspaper L'Oeil du Sahel reported that 400 civilians were killed, along with 143-300 jihadists, sixteen Chadian soldiers, and seven Cameroonian soldiers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga_NE1XzRRE CAMEROUN - Fotokol, ville martyre et point stratégique de la lutte contre Boko Haram 2015-02-19 FRANCE 24 2026-05-13 YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTlwWvMOQjw Reportage au Cameroun à Fotokol, ville dévastée par Boko Haram 2015-02-19 BFMTV 2026-05-13 YouTube Alwihda Info reported that 397 civilians and 327 militants were killed. Cameroonian Minister of Defense Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o said that 81 civilians, 13 Chadian soldiers, and eight Cameroonian soldiers were killed; however, RFI said that on the ground, the death toll for civilians was about 400 and the army's numbers did not reflect the ground situation. References Category:2015 crimes in Cameroon Category:2015 disasters in Africa Category:2015 in Cameroon Category:21st-century disasters in Cameroon Category:Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2015 Category:Terrorist incidents in Cameroon Category:Boko Haram in Cameroon Category:2015 mass murders Category:Arson in Cameroon Category:Mass shootings in Africa massacre