Did Americans Know About Torture at Africa’s ‘Guantanamo’?

The U.S. is investigating Amnesty International allegations of torture at a Cameroon base where U.S. forces support ops against Boko Haram. Are the Americans complicit?

IKOM, Nigeria—Ordinary people in Cameroon, if they know anything about the main camp of their country’s Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) at Salak airbase near the borders of Nigeria and Chad, understand that it’s a center of counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram.

They may also know that soldiers from the United States and France are part of those operations, and some are based there. But for a number of terror suspects who’ve been held at the remote facility for months, or even years, as one told The Daily Beast, this is Africa’s “Guantanamo.”

Last month, Amnesty International issued a devastating report: “Cameroon’s Secret Torture Chambers,” documenting the cases of 101 people subjected to horrific torture at Salak and other sites in Cameroon. It called for an investigation by the governments of the United States and France, whose soldiers often were in close proximity to the buildings where torture allegedly took place. Thus far there are not specific allegations that Americans took part directly in torture sessions. The question, for now, is how much they know about what’s been going on.

The Americans say they have taken notice of the allegations, but without conclusive results.

“We are aware of the 2017 Amnesty International report alleging illegal detentions and abuse of prisoners by Cameroonian soldiers and are currently reviewing its contents,” Samantha Reho, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), told The Daily Beast. “U.S. Africa Command has ordered that an inquiry be conducted into these allegations.

“DoD [Department of Defense] policy directs that military members or others accompanying the DoD component will report any possible, suspected, or alleged violation of the law of war for which there is credible information during the conduct of operations,” Reho said. “These reports are required to be made promptly to the chain of command in the most expeditious means possible.”

Reho said AFRICOM “has not received any reports from U.S. forces of human rights abuses by Cameroonian forces to this date,” and is trying to determine “what reported information, if any, AFRICOM was aware of prior to this allegation.”