Since 2013, communities in Cameroon’s Far North Region have suffered attacks from the violent extremist group Boko Haram. The divisions of Mayo-Tsanaga, Mayo-Sava and Logone-et-Chari have been hardest hit (see map). The terror group has also been responsible for several kidnappings, most recently in the Lake Chad communities of Tchika (in August) and Kofia (in September).
But other groups besides Boko Haram are increasingly kidnapping people, according to research in the North and Far North regions done by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Association Sembe. Perpetrators include former shepherds and criminal gangs comprising Cameroonians, Nigerians, Nigeriens and Chadians. The kidnappers live in the bushes and mountains along the Cameroon-Nigeria border and team up with local accomplices who act as informants.
The phenomenon has continued for over a decade, with trends worsening in the past four years. One interviewee said: ‘About 60 cases have been…
