Cameroon And Boko Haram: The Fragility Of The North Region

Four people were killed, two others abducted in attacks that took place in the far North Region of Cameroon on Thursday, January 11. This happened in Kolofata and Ashigashaya, towns which are on the border of Nigeria, where three of the victims were slaughtered. The jihadists also burned some 60 of grain and motorcycles.

The North Region is the poorest of Cameroon’s regions and has the lowest school enrollment rate. A combination of weak national integration and historic neglect by the state have for many years contributed to violence and the presence of smugglers in the region, with a proliferation of highways robbers, traffickers, and petty criminals. It was vulnerable to this jihadist insurrection due to geographical and cultural overlap with north-eastern Nigeria, the presence of an intolerant version Of Islam and the repercussions of the Chadians Civil Wars. The Cameroonian government’s focus on a military response has been partly successful, but the structural problems that allowed this threat to arise have not been addressed.

The attacks came after Cameroon and other West African countries launched a major offensive against the jihadist group in Borno state, northeast Nigeria. These attacks have claimed the lives of several of the jihadists, hundreds of others have been forced to surrender. Boko Haram began its bloody insurgency in Nigeria in 2009. Since 2013 the Nigeria-based Boko Haram succeeded in exploiting the vulnerabilities of the North region and made it a logistics base, a safe haven and a source of recruitment. The group has particularly gathered support among disaffected youth in districts adjacent to Nigeria through the use of ideological indoctrination, socio-economic incentives, and coercion. Cameroonian security forces, starting in 2013, dismantled hidden weapon stockpiles and arrested Boko Haram leaders, pushing the group to threaten and eventually attack Cameroon directly. In the last two-and-a-half years, the Far North region has experienced at least 460 attacks and about 50 suicide bombings.

Although the threat of Boko Haram to Cameroon is great, there is a great danger of a sole focus on terrorism and obscuring the structural and political problems facing the country. The two challenges should not be considered in isolation from one another because Boko Haram has the potential to drive an escalation of existing internal conflicts. Also, in the fight against Boko Haram, Cameroon government must shift focus from a security-based approach to socio-economic development and to counter religious radicalism. This step is toward consolidating military gains against Boko Haram and bringing back lasting peace in the Far North. The fight against Boko Haram calls for security cooperation and sub-regional solidarity.

Ademola Olayiwola

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