A hundred people suspected of having links with the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram were arrested by the Cameroonian police.

"The Cameroonian forces swept a hundred people Saturday in the town of Gurvidig", in the extreme north of Cameroon, said a police officer in the region.

"The authorities have received information that these people belonged to Boko Haram and a device was implemented to arrest them", said the official on condition of anonymity.

"Most are young people from a Koranic school. They officially learned the Koran, but underneath, there's another thing," he added.

According to this officer, the ideology of Boko Haram - meaning in Hausa "Western education is a sin" – is being taught.

For several months, Boko Haram has multiplied incursions in the far north of Cameroon, along the border with Nigeria. The Islamist group regularly conducts attacks in this area, killing civilians and conducting raids in the villages, and does not hesitate to attack directly the Cameroonian army.