Suspected Boko Haram attack in Cameroon triggers mass displacement

Thousands of people have fled their homes in Cameroon’s Far North region following a pre-dawn attack by suspected Boko Haram militants that killed at least 14 people.

Residents from more than 10 villages in Makary district have been forced to leave, carrying only the few possessions they could salvage. Local officials said the attack was in retaliation after security forces seized a supply of ammunition believed to have been intended for the insurgents last month.

For many displaced families, escaping the violence has come at a heavy cost. Mahamat Goigoi said his family had been forced to sell food and livestock to pay for transport out of their village.

“We sold all our grain and some of our livestock to pay for transport and leave the village, to save our lives from those people. We are looking for a place where there is peace.”

Most of the displaced have sought refuge in the border town of Waza, where classrooms have been turned into makeshift shelters. Families say they are struggling without adequate food or water.

Adoum Brahim, another displaced resident, described the difficult conditions.

“We're here, and we have nothing. We're thirsty, we're hungry, and we have nowhere to sleep or relieve ourselves. We're tired, and we're here like prisoners; we can't do anything, nor can we go home.”

Boko Haram has been active in Cameroon’s Far North for more than a decade. According to United Nations figures, at least 3,000 people have been killed and more than 500,000 displaced by the violence.

Goigoi said residents were already struggling with poor rainfall and a failed harvest, adding that communities had been forced to fend for themselves for years.

“It has now been 15 years since we've had to fend for ourselves. This year, the rainfall has been poor; we haven't even had a harvest. And despite all that, these men come to kill us, take all our possessions, abduct our children and kill our brothers. We are tired of seeing this.”

Officials in the Far North Region held a crisis meeting on Monday, September 21, to address the escalating emergency and continued displacement.

For thousands who have fled, the immediate priority is finding safety, food, water, and shelter.