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Since 2013 attacks by Boko Haram insurgents on communities in the Gwoza hills began to intensify which led within a year to an almost total destruction and abandonment of many settlements. August 2014 Gwoza town was captured and declared a caliphate. October 2014 Boko Haram established itself successfully along the whole of the western chain of the Mandara mountains. End of 2014 Nigerian forces recaptured Mubi and beginning of February 2015 Michika. Mid March Madagali was retaken and so was Bama and a day before the elections, late March 2015, also Gwoza town. During summer 2015 Boko Haram regrouped and continued killing and early 2016 more joint operations of Nigerian and Cameroonian forces along international border but in summer 2016 Boko Haram continues with some attacks in western plain. In November Ngoshe in eastern Gwoza plain was bombed and in February 2017 also Tagoshe mountain (Gwoza hills). Gwoza town and Pulka are still safe, but foothills and mountains are controlled by insurgents and also the eastern plain remains a no go area without any military presence!
Below is a list of major Boko Haram attacks in and around the Gwoza hills area with links to media reports. See also map of main areas of attacks and map of March 2015.
September 2017: Cameroon: Mass forced return of Nigerian refugees in remote border area
June 2017: Twin suicide blast kills at least 9 and wounds 30 in Kolofata (N Cameroon)
May 2017: New GOC visits battle frontline in Borno, including Gwoza, Pulka and Ngoshe
May 2017: 14-year-old who was abducted 2013 in Gwoza tells her story as suicide bomber
May 2017: Nigerian Red Cross reunites displaced families also in Gwoza and Madagali
May 2017: The 82 newly released Chibok girls were handed over in forest near Banki
May 2017: Shekau receiving treatment near Kolofata following air strike west of Gwoza
April 2017: Troops clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along Bama-Gwoza road
April 2017: Troop kill six Boko Haram terrorists in Dissa area (west of Gwoza town)
April 2017: Former Boko Haram commander from Mubi admits marrying two Chibok girls
April 2017: Informative article about the humanitarian crisis still unfolding (including Gwoza)
March 2017: 21 Boko Haram suspects arrested in Mandara Mountains by Cameroon army
February 2017: Nigerian air force jets bomb Boko Haram hiding in the Gwoza hills
February 2017: Boko Haram attacks NAF plane carrying medical supply in Gwoza
February 2017: Boko Haram razed Mussa village (Askira-Uba LGA), person burned alive
January 2017: Boko Haram bombers using babies in Madagali to thwart detection
January 2017: Two bomb attacks hit Nigeria as officials blame Boko Haram
December 2016: Famine kills about 2000 people cut of from aid by Boko Haram
December 2016: Boko Haram battle stalls while population starves
December 2016: Northeast IDPs need 30000mt of food monthly (including Gwoza and Pulka)
December 2016: How and why Boko Haram targets teachers and schools
November 2016: Troops kill 30 Boko Haram fighters during ambush attack near Pulka
November 2016: United Nations says Boko Haram stops aid in Cameroon's border area
November 2016: Two soldiers killed and wounded during Boko Haram attack near Uba
November 2016: Boko Haram female wounds at least four during suicide attack in Mora
November 2016: Nigerian air force attacks Ngoshe and covers advancing ground troops
November 2016: Boko Haram besieging villages in Chibok area (southwest of Gwoza town)
November 2016: Christians who fled Boko Haram's faced discrimination in refugee camps
November 2016: Woman from Kolofata (Cameroon) was forced to marry Boko Haram man
November 2016: Boko Haram killed Lt. Colonel south of Gwoza on road leading to Yola
November 2016: Boko Haram burns houses and kills two in Uba local government area
November 2016: Boko Haram survivors sexually abused by officials at 'safe' camps
October 2016: Hunters kill seven Boko Haram suspects in Madagali local government area
October 2016: Woman form Gwoza captured by Boko Haram recovers with help of charity
October 2016: Nigerian troops killed suicide bomber on Madagali-Limankara road
October 2016: Other freed women tell harrowing tales from their times with Boko Haram
October 2016: 21 released Chibok girls picked up by military helicopter in Banki area
October 2016: Bama hired 5000 vigilantes for protection following governor Shettima's return
October 2016: UNHCR dismisses claims by presidency, saying Boko Haram is not defeated
October 2016: Officials steal food from internally displaced persons says woman from Bama
October 2016: Soldiers based in Banki deserted after two years on warfront without a break
September 2016: Aid agency counted the graves of 430 children who had died of hunger
September 2016: Soldiers repelled terrorist attack in two villages to the west of Gwoza hills
September 2016: 3 killed when locals in Djakana stopped BH bomber on his way to Mora
September 2016: Residents of Maroua (Far North Cameroon) still fear Boko Haram attacks
September 2016: Governor Shettima temporarily relocates his office to destroyed Bama town
September 2016: Two million trapped in Boko Haram controlled areas in Borno alone
September 2016: Madagali and Michika local governments did not receive a single grain
September 2016: Example of Bama: the northeast of Borno state remains highly insecure
August 2016: Large cattle market in Meme closed following Mora suicide attack
August 2016: Boko Haram suicide attack kills 3 and injures many in Mora (Cameroon)
August 2016: Senator Ndume claims Gwoza is now save but this is most likely not true!
June 2016: Army says it cleared Gava from insurgents and freed civilians at Ngoshe
June 2016: Internally Displaced Persons returned to east Gwoza and got trapped
June 2016: Humanitarian crisis in Bama's internally displaced persons' camp deteriorates
June 2016: Boko Haram victims starve to death in Bama as officials steal relief materials
June 2016: Boko Haram kills mourners at funeral including women and children near Gulak
June 2016: Boko Haram allegedly set up its own radio station near Kolofata (Cameroon)
June 2016: Troops kill five Boko Haram terrorist in Pulka but five soldiers got injured
June 2016: Notorious Boko Haram kingpin arrested in Mussa village (Aski Uba LGA)
June 2016: Citizens of Gwoza and Ngoshe were rescued during army operation near Bama
June 2016: Emir of Gwoza says no IDP including himself will return unless Gwoza is safe
June 2016: Army cleared a Boko Haram hideout in Uvaha (foothills south of Gwoza town)
May 2016: Report and video about the many other females kidnapped by Boko Haram
May 2016: Girl from Tourou escapes Boko Haram capture after raid and returns home
May 2016: Army spokesmen argue with community leaders over origin of rescued girl
May 2016: Two girls wearing explosives die at checkpoint near Mora (Cameroon)
May 2016: Troops clear remnants of Boko Haram militants in Dure area (west of Pulka)
May 2016: Troops retake 7 villages from Boko Haram in Disa area (west of Gwoza town)
May 2016: Nigerian army allegedly returns 398 internally displaced people to Gwoza
April 2016: Samantha Power US ambassador to the UN visits Mokolo and promises help
April 2016: Troops repelled Boko Haram attacks on army battalion stationed at Pulka
April 2016: More joint operations between Cameroon and Nigeria along border areas
March 2016: Hundreds trapped on Zelidva spur were rescued and brought to Pulka
March 2016: Joint forces free hundreds of Boko Haram hostages from Ashigashiya area
March 2016: Five killed in Boko Haram attack in Huyum village (west of Gulak)
March 2016: Boko Haram still holds fall-back positions says US general Rodriquez
March 2016: In Kolofata Cameroon pins hopes on vigilantes to defeat Boko Haram
March 2016: Troops repel attack by fleeing insurgents on military locations in Pulka
March 2016: Food crisis as result of Boko Haram increasingly leaves its marks
March 2016: France24 video of Cameroonian army activities along hilly border area
March 2016: Hundreds from East-Gwoza were allegedly rescued by Nigerian forces
March 2016: Starving Boko Haram members handed themselves over in Gwoza town
February 2016: Army chief claims displaced persons could soon return to Gwoza
February 2016: 12 dead and 50 injured in double suicide attack in Mémé (Cameroon)
February 2016: Boko Haram attack Madagali, kill people and burn houses
February 2016: Boko Haram land mine kills Cameroonian soldiers in East-Gwoza LGA
February 2016: Cameroon and Nigerian army jointly fight Boko Haram in East-Gwoza LGA
February 2016: At least six killed and over 30 injured in Nguetchewe (Cameroon)
February 2016: Eye witnesses from Gowza LGA explain why they can't go home again
February 2016: Borno senators contradict each other regarding safety in Gwoza LGA
February 2016: The example of Gwoza shows that Boko Haram still holds territory
January 2016: From its Nigerian bases the ISIS affiliate causes havoc in Cameroon
January 2016: Insurgents turns East Gwoza into infiltration corridor for suicide bombers
January 2016: 40 killed as Cameroonian troops chase Boko Haram in East Gwoza
January 2016: Troops cleared some Boko Haram hideouts in the western Gwoza area
January 2016: Christians and Muslims unite in Cameroon after recent mosque attack
January 2016: Boko Haram kills 4 in mosque attack on Nguetchewe (Cameroon)
January 2016: Eye witness reports from previous attacks on Michika and Madagali
January 2016: Schools remain close in Gwoza and elsewhere in the NE of Nigeria
January 2016: Midwife from Gwoza who fled Boko Haram now helps other women
January 2016: 12 killed in sucide attack on mosque in Kouyape (Cameroon)
January 2016: 7 killed and 10 houses burnt in Boko Haram attack on Madagali
January 2016: IPSs refuse to return home say Boko Haram still controls Gwoza
January 2016: Attack on Izgeki (near Gwoza) kills seven and many flee temporary
December 2015: 30 killed by two female suicide bombers at garage in Madagali
December 2015: Unsichere Zukunft fuer Fluechtlinge in Ost-Gwoza (Deutsche Welle)
December 2015: Claims that Cameroon army killed alleged Boko Haram in East-Gwoza
December 2015: Former Boko Haram captives take refuge near Kolofata (Cameroon)
December 2015: Nigeria lance les opérations pour le retour des habitants chassés par BH
December 2015: Suicide bomber kills 10 and wounded 27 in Kolofata (Cameroon)
December 2015: Troops intercept fleeing terrorists at Pulka (northern foot of Gwoza hills)
December 2015: Sambisa forest and Gwoza hills remain hideouts for Boko Haram
December 2015: Troops also destroy Boko Haram camps at Disa and Gwoza LGA
December 2015: Boko Haram chief cameraman arrested in Askira/Uba local government
December 2015: 50 Boko Haram fighters killed in Mayo Sava district (Cameroon)
December 2015: Cameroon's army kills 100 Boko Haram fighters and frees 900 hostages
December 2015: Boko Haram attacks military base in Gulak, near Madagali
November 2015: New Cameroonian minister of defence takes on Boko Haram
November 2015: 4 enfants égorgés et 8 filles enlevées à Ashigashiya par Boko Haram
November 2015: Boko Haram loses 7 in failed attempt to retake Gwoza town
November 2015: 9 people slaughtered in Kolofata (Mayo-Sava), Cameroon
November 2015: Military cleared 9 terrorist camps, some to west of Gwoza hills
November 2015: Boko Haram claims to have rocket factory in Bama area
November 2015: Population in Mubi area still fearful of Boko Haram to return
November 2015: Civil society activist seeks to expose horrors of Boko Haram insurgency
October 2015: Overly optimistic article in The Economist about defeat of Boko Haram
October 2015: Cameroon army retook Kerawa only hours after Boko Haram had seized it
October 2015: Boko Haram s'empare d'une ville de l'Extrême-Nord du Cameroun
October 2015: Boko Haram seized Kerawa on Cameroon-Nigeria border
October 2015: 8 killed in Boko Haram attack on village of Doulo, near Mora (Cameroon)
October 2015: Self-defence fighters faught alongside army and killed 150 insurgents
October 2015: 30 Boko Haram insurgents killed in Madagali area by army and vigilantes
October 2015: Suspected suicide bombers kill 11 in Dar village, near Madagali
October 2015: Boko Haram suicide bombers kill 9 in Kangeleri-Mora district
September 2015: Emir of Gwoza seeks relocation of 4000 internally-displaced persons
September 2015: Nigerian army reopens primary school in Gwoza town
September 2015: Military freed 90 Boko Haram victims in villages near Gwoza town
September 2015: Suicide attack kills many in the Cameroonian town of Mora
September 2015: Suicide attack on northern town of Kolofata
September 2015: Suicide bomb attack kills civilians in Kerawa
August 2015: 45,000 displaced Nigerians in Mokolo camp in Cameroon
August 2015: Army kills fleeing Boko Haram fighters in Gwoza<
July 2015: Second suicide attack on Maroua, main city to the east of the Mandara mountains
July 2015: Raid by Boko Haram left 25 people dead in villages west of Mandara mountains
July 2015: Le Cameroun frappé à son tour par Boko Haram
July 2015: Buhari replaces military chiefs following Boko Haram's increased attacks
July 2015: Mandara mountains remain an important hideout for Boko Haram
July 2015: Mayo-Tsanaga: L'effort de guerre des Camerounais parvenu aux populations
July 2015: Two women in burqas killed 13 in Cameroon border town Fotokol<
July 2015: 27 police officers still missing in Gwoza town are allegedly not dead
June 2015: Report of the physical destruction and the smell of death at Gwoza town
June 2015: Report about the chronic shortage of food and drink at Minawao refugee camp
June 2015: A report of the traumtic effects of Boko Haram torture
May 2015: Nigerian military is obtaining video footage from Gwoza showing foreign fighters
May 2015: Governor of Borno state and Shehu of Bama visit Bama Local Government
May 2015: Nigerian army sacks 200 soldiers for cowardice in Mubi
May 2015: Boko Haram attacks village near Madagali in Adamawa state
May 2015: Report of land mines planted by Boko Haram along Cameroon/Nigerian border
May 2015: Boko Haram attacks village near Michika in Adamawa state
May 2015: Why Boko Haram remains a threat
May 2015: Cameroun: vigilance redoublée face à Boko Haram
May 2015: BBC video report about freeing of captured women
April 2015: Boko Haram kills 12 as army tries to save civilians
April 2015: Amnesty international on the abduction of women and girls by Boko Haram
March 2015: Nigerian troops free women held by boko haram in Gwoza town
March 2015: Boko Haram HQ in Gwoza 'retaken'
March 2015: Can Jonathan keep his promise to liberate Gwoza a day before elections?
March 2015: Shekau is alive and still preaching in Gwoza says female escapee
March 2015: Chibok girls are in Gwoza, says freed Boko Haram abductee
March 2015: Boko Haram detains many women in Nigeria's Gwoza
March 2015: Bama recapture, survivors' shocking stories
March 2015: Boko Haram insurgents slaughter wives as they prepare for Gwoza showdown
March 2015: Boko Haram burns Bama as troops advance
March 2015: Nigerian army chief declares that final push for Gwoza is imminent
March 2015: As attacks on Boko Haram mount, are the Gwoza hills a main hiding place?
March 2015: Boko Haram sous pression à la frontière camerouno-nigériane
March 2015: Nigerian military claims to have recaptured Madagali
March 2015: Claims that Bama has been retaken by Nigerian military proved to be wrong
March 2015: Boko Haram militants assembling in Gwoza
March 2015: Boko Haram attaque la localité de Njaba et rassemble ses troupes à Gwoza
Feb 2015: After retaking Baga Nigerian military intensifies airstrikes on Gwoza and Bama
Feb 2015: Boko Haram takes 20 and kills 12 on bus from Koza to Mora (North Cameroon)
Jan 2015: Cameroonian army retakes Michika and other places in Adamawa state
Jan 2015: Cameroonian army takes control of heights of Turu and Mabass
Jan 2015: Allegedly thousands flee following attack on Mabass
Jan 2015: Boko Haram attacks Mabass, across the border in Cameroon
Jan 2015: Cameroonian army fights Boko Haram in crossborder attack in Kolofata
Dec 2014: NY Times summarizes end of 2014 Boko Haram attacks with interesteng map
Dec 2014: Cameroon defends Ashigashiya and other places by launching airstikes
Dec 2014: Nouveau coup de force de Boko Haram au Cameroun
Nov 2014: A female refugee from Gwoza recalls her ordeal of burying the dead
Nov 2014: Boko Haram sacks seven northeast emirs in three months
Nov 2014: Vigilantes and army retook Mubi and Maiha but Boko Haram took Chibok instead
Nov 2014: Cameroonian soldier killed in Boko Haram attack on border town Kerawa
Nov 2014: Boko Haram kills Christian majority in Mubi after renaming town City of Islam
Nov 2014: Nigerian troops are allegedly advancing towards Mubi to push out Boko Haram
Oct 2014: Boko Haram expands as far as Maiha in the south (Adamawa state) - what next?
Oct 2014: Boko Haram seize Mubi, sack army headquarters, one of the largest in Adamawa
Oct 2014: Boko Haram militants attacking Uba and Hildi, threaten Mubi
Oct 2014: Over 1000 people are hiding on highest mountain of Gwoza hills (in German)
Oct 2014: 30 policemen are still missing from Gwoza training camp says inspector general
Oct 2014: Boko Haram also abducted women in Garta (mountain village east of Michika)
Oct 2014: In Gwoza the insurgents killed fleeing villagers who descended from the hills
Oct 2014: From Gwoza killing field to misery in Abuja
Oct 2014: Boko Haram continues offensive and abducts 40 women in Wagga (Madagali)
Oct 2014: Nigerian army attempted to retake the towns of Bazza, Michika and Madagali
Sept 2014: Cameroon claims that Tuareg fighters have joined Boko Haram
Sept 2014: Hundreds of refugees from Gwoza area try to resettle in Nasarawa state
Sept 2014: Sultan of Sokoto rejects the Boko Haram Gwoza caliphate as un-Islamic
Sept 2014: Boko Haram overun Michika (south of Gwoza) in Adamawa state
Aug 2014: Investigation - why the Gwoza hills area is an easy target for Boko Haram
Aug 2014: Gwoza remains in the hands of insurgents, while military continues struggling
Aug 2014: Locals who fled say that there have been no soldiers in Gwoza for ten days
Aug 2014: Large army movements now concentrate on Gwoza to drive insurgents out
Aug 2014: Boko Haram appoint emir for Gwoza while local women bury their dead
Aug 2014: Heavy fighting over Gwoza ongoing, but number of civilian casualties unkown
Aug 2014: Now soldiers' wives complain about husbands risking their lives in Gwoza...
Aug 2014: Gwoza survivors demonstrate in Maiduguri, demanding help from government
Aug 2014: Nigerian army now uses fighter planes in second attempt to retake Gwoza
Aug 2014: Nigerian troops flee Gwoza after attempt to retake strategic town
Aug 2014: Nigerian special forces claim that they now move to retake Gwoza...
Aug 2014: Whereabouts of new emir unknown as Boko Haram takes over emirate
Aug 2014: Christians fled the Gwoza area either to Cameroon or places outside of Borno
Aug 2014: Capture of Gwoza town by Boko Haram, army fled, many inhabitants killed
July 2014: Cameroon deputy prime minister's wife kidnapped in Kolofata
July 2014: 63 Captives escaped from Boko Haram had alegedly been held near Gwoza
June 2014: Suicide bomber kills 3 solidiers at checkpoint near school in Gwoza town
June 2014: Cameroonians fear Boko Haram infiltration across international border
June 2014: Alex Crawford, sky news, looks across the border from Cameroon...
June 2014: Boko Haram threat spreads into Cameroon - boys snatched from villages
June 2014: Madagali villagers kill 70 Boko Haram militants in search for food
June 2014: Hundreds of houses burnt in villages to the eastern foot of the Gwoza hills
June 2014: Dozens killed in Attagara (eastern foot of Gwoza hills)
June 2014: Christians from Gwoza area release details about 6 abducted girls
June 2014: Food scarcity forces residents of Gwoza East to eat wild fruits and roots
June 2014: Severe killings and burnings in Ngoshe Kasa (eastern foot of Gwoza hills)
June 2014: Bomb on football crowd near Mubi (southwestern Mandara mountains)
June 2014: Governor of Borno attends funeral of the Emir of Gwoza and sees destruction
May 2014: Emir of Gwoza killed by Boko Haram
May 2014: Villagers from Madagali area defend themselves (western foot of Gwoza hills)
May 2014: Press release by Mega-Chad international research network on Boko Haram
May 2014: Attack on Limankara and blowing up bridge (western foot of Gwoza hills)
May 2014: 11 girls abducted in Warabe (western foot of Gwoza hills)
April 2014: abduction of Chibok girls (southwest of Gwoza hills)
April 2014: attack on Wala (western foot of Gwoza hills)
April 2014: raid on Ngoshe Kasa (Glavda) and other places nearby
April 2014: another attack on Ngoshe Sama (Gvoko) with many dead
April 2014: dans le nord du Cameroun, la peur de Boko Haram gagne du terrain
March 2014: army claims capture of insurgents in Mandara mountains (Gwoza hills)
Feb 2014: raid on Izhge (west of Gwoza hills)
Feb 2014: killings in Konduga (northwest of Gwoza hills)
Jan 2014: raid on Waga Chakawa (foot of Tur heights, near Madagali)
Jan 2014: killings in Madagali local government (foot of Tur heights)
Jan 2014: raid in Damboa local government (west of Gwoza hills)
Dec 2013: Boko Haram crosses border to Cameroon to east of Gwoza hills
Dec 2013: Unreported killing on the Cameroonian side of Ashigashiya
Nov 2013: plight of Christians in Gwoza (letter to governor of Borno)
Nov 2013: attacks on villages along eastern foot of Gwoza hills
Nov 2013: Attack on Ngoshe Sama (Gvoko) with detailed report
Oct 2013: Cameroon struggles with thousands of Nigerian refugees
Sept 2013: report of abducted girl from Ghwa'a in Dghwede
July 2013: refugee situation in Maroua and Mokolo (Cameroon)
July 2013: Thousands flee from eastern plain of Gwoza hills to Cameroon
July 2013: conflict in Barawa (eastern foot of Gwoza hills)
July 2013: 15000 Borno residents relocate to Cameroon
July 2013: did Shekau flee from Sambisa forest to Gwoza hills?
June 2013: Boko Haram threatens residents of Gwoza , Pulka and Kirawa
June 2013: Mayo-Moskota: Un millier de réfugiés nigérians s'installent
June 2013: Boko Haram fighters regroup in Gwoza hills
June 2013: attacks in various villages in the Gwoza hills
April 2013: attack and killings in Mildu (Adamawa state)
Dec 2012: Boko Haram gunmen attack in Maiha (Adamawa state) killed 21 people