Battle of Kolofata (2015)
Failed assault by Boko Haram on a Cameroonian military base
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On January 12, 2015, militants from Boko Haram attacked a Cameroonian military base in Kolofata, Far North Region, Cameroon. The raid was unsuccessful, and over 100 Boko Haram fighters were killed.
| Battle of Kolofata (2015) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Boko Haram insurgency | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cameroon |
 Boko Haram | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ibrahim Njankouo | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 300+[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 killed 4-7 injured [2] Unknown number kidnapped | 143-146 killed[2] | ||||||
Background
Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria.[3] 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.[4]
In late 2014, Boko Haram was continuing an offensive into Cameroonian territory from Nigeria. On December 18, Boko Haram attacked and briefly seized the city of Amchide, in Mayo-Tsanaga. The attack was repelled, and hundreds of militants were killed.[5] Similar attacks occurred on December 28, in various communities around Achigachia.[6]
Battle
Prior to the battle, the military base at the Cameroonian border town of Kolofata was defended by a ditch and a manmade hill. Soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) were deployed to Kolofata.[7][8]
Around 6:30am local time, the jihadists took advantage of a thick fog to cross the Cameroonian border and surprise the defending troops.[9] The surprise did not work, and the Cameroonians were alerted to the attack. Several residents fled upon hearing news of the incursion.[8] Fighting took place at the military base and in strategic locations in Kolofata.[7] The camp was the most targeted location, and several Boko Haram fighters entered the compound before being killed.[9] The garrison commander, Ibrahim Njankouo, used heavy artillery to push back the jihadists into Nigeria.[9]
Aftermath
On the evening of January 12, the Cameroonian government reported 143 "terrorists" killed, compared to one Cameroonian soldier killed and four wounded.[10] AFP said that no independent death toll could be established.[10] This initial estimate was probably inaccurate. Njankouo told Jeune Afrique in February "Sometimes using binoculars we count those who were kidnapped to the insurgents' camp."[11] He also affirmed a death toll of 146 fighters killed, one Cameroonian soldier killed, and seven wounded.[11] One Boko Haram "general" was killed by a sniper during the battle.[12]
Among the Boko Haram dead were several light-skinned fighters alleged to be Tuaregs. Njankouo said that Nigerien Tuaregs, Sudanese, and Libyans were among the Boko Haram corpses.[7]