Cameroonian Defence Forces have extended a trench along the country’s border with Nigeria in the bid to prevent armed militants, especially ones from the Nigerian group known as Boko Haram, from infiltrating into Cameroon.

Going by reports, work on the trench which is more than 4 m wide and 3 m deep, began in October 2016, when an experimental 20 km long section was dug between Guiwess and Tilde.

The trench dug by a new BIR engineering unit that has been equipped with excavators, which is also tasked with repairing damage caused during the rainy season. The trench is patrolled by BIR detachments, troops from the Cameroonian army battalions serving under Cameroon’s Sector 1 of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), and members of the Civilian Vigilance Committees.

Cameroonian defence forces say the trench will significantly improve the security situation in the country’s Far North region.