In Cameroon, a terrorist group allied with ISIS called Boko Haram has been attacking local communities with raids and suicide bombings. Boko Haram has been growing in influence in recent years and controls parts of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon.
However, there has been growing resistance to their violence, and many people are now beginning to organize and defend one another from attacks.
Mindjiyawa Bakary, governor of Cameroon’s Far North region told Anadolu Agency that Christians and Muslims are organizing together to help protect one another from terrorist attacks, since many of these attacks have been targeted at places of worship.
“We have a new technique; Christians secure mosques when Muslims pray… On Sundays when Christians are in places of worship, Muslims patrol around churches to detect any suspicious movement,” Bakary said.
“This new strategy is currently being tested in some villages and will be extended to the whole region,” Bakary added.
These vigilante groups have reportedly already prevented a number of different terrorist attacks from taking place.
According to the Cameroon’s minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, there have been 15 suicide attacks bombings in the last month, all of them from Boko Haram.
I have noticed similar stories of Christian and Muslim unity in the past.
Last year, passengers on a bus traveling through Kenya‘s Mandera State were ambushed by terrorists from Al-Shabaab, who were looking for Christians to kill. Al-Shabaab is a Somalian militant group with ties to Al Qaeda, who frequently conduct violent acts against Christians in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.
Traveling through Kenya’s notorious border region, the bus carrying 100 passengers was hit by bullets. Gunmen shot two people dead and ordered the remaining passengers to disembark, telling Muslims that only they would be allowed to live.
But brave Muslims refused to give up their 12 Christian brothers and sisters to the militants, choosing instead to hide women’s identities by giving them headscarves. Then, while forced to line up on the roadside, a man risked his life by lying to Al-Shabaab that all the bus passengers were Islamic. Faced with such a strong show of unity, the terrorists fled.
I wrote this story @ http://www.trueactivist.com/in-cameroon-christians-and-muslims-protect-each-other-from-boko-haram/
http://aa.com.tr/en/world/cameroon-christians-muslims-protect-each-other-/508721
(sources for article are hyperlinked at the site above)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please upvote, follow and resteem if you enjoyed my article and I will return the favor in the comments, even if you happen to disagree with me, I welcome and upvote all good discussion!
John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. He also has a publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both fiction and non-fiction writers. John just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through his experience, if you wish to contribute to his medical bills consider subscribing to his podcast to support at https://www.patreon.com/johnvibes