The Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has refuted reports ranking Cameroon as the second most dangerous country in the world. He was speaking in Yaounde, April 1, during a press conference.

Tchiroma recalled a report that was allegedly published by the US State Department and the Council on Foreign Relations in February ranking Cameroon as the second most dangerous country on the globe, remarking that it was the US Government that was the first to debunk such allegations.

He said the US Ambassador to Cameroon, HE Michael Stephen Hoza, in a press release on February 16, 2016 “strongly and categorically refuted the statements attributed to the US Government by some local media on the security issue in Cameroon.”

Quoting the Ambassador, Tchiroma said “… the US Department of State or the Council on Foreign Relations has never ranked Cameroon as the second most dangerous nation in the world. Cameroon is a peaceful country, despite the security challenges associated with Boko Haram.”

He remarked that the Ambassador had, in compliance with the customs of American diplomacy, informed its citizens of the security situation prevailing in the East and Far North Regions of Cameroon, urging them to avoid going to such areas as much as possible until the situation returns to normal.

“We can all agree that no ranking on a specific danger in Cameroon … has, so far, been made by the USA, be it through its official institutions or through related civil society organisations operating in America,” Tchiroma stated.

He argued that such a ranking is existing only in the minds of those who want to tarnish the image of the country. The Minister said the war against Boko Haram was imposed on the country by the group, whose only ideology lies in intolerance, crime and barbarism.

He talked of President Biya’s determination to lead the war to its final victory. He said the international community, now aware that terrorism knows no borders, has chosen to join the efforts of Cameroon to stop Boko Haram’s destructive momentum and reduce it to nothing.

Tchiroma hailed the defence and security forces for pushing back Boko Haram without losing an inch of the country’s territory to the enemy.

He mentioned the special operations conducted in the localities of Ngoshe and Kumshe, real logistics and decision-making centres for the group ‘s criminal actions, noting that the attack was a hit at the heart of Boko Haram’s strategic device.

“Today, reliable military sources report that Boko Haram is substantially weakened. The criminal horde is in total disarray, completely devastated and reduced to seeking sustenance,” he stated. He, however, cautioned that vigilance should be intensified as the various military and intelligence services continue to crisscross the border area plagued by security threats.

Tchiroma admitted that the war against Boko Haram is weighing heavily on the country’s public finances and that despite the atrocities committed which impedes economic activities in the conflict area, the modernisation of Cameroon’s economy is on track.

The Minister also mentioned the three-year Emergency Plan to be funded to the tune of a trillion, the FCFA 102 billion promised by President Biya in a speech on February 10 for the insertion of young people in the production channels, as some of the efforts to help Cameroon emerge by 2035.