Hundreds of former Boko Haram hostages have been blocked from returning home by local communities at Cameroon-Nigeria Border
Local communities are refusing to allow the hostages to return, fearing being infiltrated again by terrorists.
Boko Haram’s renewed campaign of suicide bombings in Far North Cameroon has bred suspicion that remains even as attacks have died down.
Among them is 45-year old Asta Hamina brought into the camp a week ago by the Cameroon military. She said she was found around Sambisa forest, a former stronghold of the insurgents.
She said that the torture in Sambisa forest makes her frightened. She said her wish is to return home and start her life all over again.
But her dream of returning home may not be achieved soon.
Some of hostages have confessed that after they were taken hostage by Boko Haram fighters during attacks on their villages and taken to Nigeria, they were forced to join the jihadist group as fighters and their children were used as suicide bombers.
Arouna Abba, a community leader at Mozogo, said they are not ready to accept the former hostages in their villages for fear of being infiltrated once again by the terrorists. He said some of them may be spies or been brainwashed with Boko Haram ideology.
He said they first of all want the government of Cameroon to assure them of their security and safety.
The community leader adds that their resources are stretched and the economic needs of villagers who braved attacks and stayed home will increase if they allow the former hostages to return.
“Villagers already lack water to drink and it will terrible if they share the little they have”, Abba said.
Some of the former hostages said they spent two years with Boko Haram and decided to flee and hand over themselves to the military or local self-defense groups. Others said they had fought for Boko Haram but chose to lay down their arms because they realized they were misled.
Mozogo is one of the Cameroon towns that have suffered severe Boko Haram atrocities, with schools, markets, churches and Mosques burned by members of the group.
Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of Cameroon’s far north region is pleading with communities to receive the former hostages, and assuring them that the government will protect them.
He adds that among the returnees in the camp are 120 girls, 125 boys and many children of school age and they have been asking the UNHCR to consider either creating an orphanage or opening a school in the camp should the returnees’ stay be extended.
Soldiers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger, part of a multinational joint task force of the lake Chad Basin Commission have rolled back Boko Haram gains since last year, but the insurgency remains a potent threat.
The conflict that began in northeast Nigeria 8 years ago has left at least 25,000 people dead and led more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes.
