The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Far North region of Cameroon has risen to 15,000 between January and February 2024, largely due to a series of security incidents, according to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The report reveals that residents of the Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga, and Logone et Chari departments, which border Nigeria, continue to face insecurity due to intense activity by non-state armed groups. These groups, including those linked to the Boko Haram sect, regularly carry out deadly incursions into these departments. “In February, at least 15 civilians were killed and 23 others were injured in various incidents. Kidnapping followed by ransom demands has become particularly widespread in the Lake Chad Basin area, with at least 42 people kidnapped in Logone et Chari,” OCHA reported.

These incidents have forced at least 9,133 people to flee their villages, including 8,129 in Mayo-Tsanaga, specifically in the Mokolo and Koza districts, and 1,004 in the Blangoua district in Logone et Chari, according to the UN agency.

The OCHA report also notes that clashes in neighboring Chad have led to further displacement. “Regarding cross-border movements, 238 households (2,285 people) from the locality of Gamal, in Chad, moved towards the village of Mariam, in the Logone Birni district (Logone et Chari) between 20 and 22 February 2024. These people are said to have moved as a result of a land dispute in their country,” the report states.

L.A.