Herders and Farmers of North Cameroon in the Grip of Violence and Insecurity
Today, violence and insecurity continue to plague rural communities in North Cameroon, a situation rooted in its history, in a domestic economic crisis that goes back 20 years, and in the political and military conflicts gripping neighbouring countries like Chad and the Central African Republic. The agro-pastoral systems of production are currently being undermined by land and fiscal insecurity and, more recently, by acts of armed banditry. The sedentary Mbororo herders have been the main victims so far. The difficulty in overcoming the different forms of insecurity stems from the weakness of an administration suffering from government underfunding, and the lack of organization of civil society and rural producer associations preventing North Cameroon from facing up to this situation.