At least 26 people were killed in three suicide attacks carried out by Boko Haram militants in the far north of Cameroon on Monday. Unofficial tolls, however, place the number of casualties at more than 26. AFP reported that the militant group targeted a local market in Bodo, near the frontier with Nigeria. The attacks were the most deadly in recent weeks.

On January 13, a suicide attack on a mosque in northern Cameroon killed 12 people. The militant group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria in the last year, threatening regional security. Chad, Niger, Cameroon, and Nigeria have contributed troops to a regional offensive against the militan group, with the United States army also providing soldiers and assistance.

A recent United Nations report said that over 2,000 schools have been closed because of violence by Boko Haram, and that more than a million children have been forced to stop their education in the region because of the group's activities.