Incident Summary:

05/17/2014: Assailants opened fire on Sinohydro, a Chinese construction camp, near Waza town, Extreme-North region, Cameroon. At least one soldier was killed, one Chinese worker was wounded, and 10 others were abducted in the attack; the hostages were released on October 11, 2014. This was one of two attacks carried out by Boko Haram in Waza town on April 17, 2014. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, sources attributed the attack to Boko Haram.

GTD ID:
201405170056

When:
2014-05-17

Country:
Cameroon

Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Extreme-North

City:
Near Waza

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Kidnapping)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Business
Name of Entity Sinohydro
Specific Description Construction Camp
Nationality of Target China
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 10
US Hostages 0
Days of Kidnapping 147
Outcome Hostage(s) released by perpetrators
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Grenade
Firearms Unknown Gun Type
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information Casualty numbers for this attack conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the majority reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Boko Haram No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 1 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 1
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"27 Chinese, local hostages released in Cameroon," AFP, October 11, 2014.
"Cameroon: Boko Haram hostages freed in north," Al Jazeera, October 11, 2014.
"Sinosphere: Boko Haram Suspected in Attack on Chinese Workers in Cameroon," New York Times, May 19, 2014.