Cameroon's President Biya in Nigeria
May 3, 2016
President Paul Biya of Cameroon, his wife Chantal and other officials arrived in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Tuesday. Biya was received by Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.
The two leaders were set to discuss issues of mutual interest to Nigeria and Cameroon. Expected to be high on the agenda are topics such as the ongoing bilateral and regional cooperation against terrorism, violent extremism and cross-border crimes.
The two leaders are expected to deliver a joint communiqué after their meeting on Wednesday when Biya's visit to Nigeria ends.
Biya's visit to Nigeria comes after Buhari's official visit to Cameroon in July 2015. Back then, the two leaders had discussed efforts to set up a joint multi-national force to battle Boko Haram islamists.
DW correspondent Ben Adam Shemang said the issue of security is now of outmost importance to the two leaders. "When Boko Haram struck in Nigeria, Cameroon was playing a 'don't care' kind of attitude, but when the islamists moved into Cameroon, it was then that they joined hands with Nigeria, Chad and Niger to fight Boko Haram."
It is now expected that the two leaders will seek ways of boosting the fight against the armed Islamic insurgents.