Boko Haram terror group changes method in Lake Chad region
The Kabelawa camp, 2 hours from Diffa to the northeast, hosts 2,500 displaced Nigeriens evacuated from the islands of Lake Chad. Pierre Pinto/RFI
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It is increasingly resorting to kidnapping for ransom, which pushes the population to flee. Illustration with one of the departments of this region, that of Fouli.
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In Chad, the administration, NGOs and journalists operating in the Lac region in the south-west of the country are adamant that the jihadist group Boko Haram has changed its modus operandi for about six months. No large-scale attacks for months in the region, Boko Haram jihadists now operate at night and in small groups of six to eight fighters, avoiding the Chadian army.
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Boko Haram has changed its methods of action. He started kidnapping state or NGO personnel to exchange them for ransom," said Adoum Mahamat Mbomi, prefect of Fouli department.
But these are not the only targets of Boko Haram jihadists, continues the prefect of Fouli. "Young boys and girls too. Sometimes they escape from Boko Haram. Others are exchanged for ransom, and there are some who are kept as fighters. And some of these girls are forced to marry the jihadists.
As a result, this insecurity, combined with the recent floods that have hit the entire region, has caused a massive displacement of the population of the Lake Chad islands for the mainland. "NGOs are intervening but there are too many people," about 45,000 people, regrets Adoum Mahamat.
The station has become so alarming that the driving forces of the Lake Chad region have just gathered in "a Forum against the Boko Haram nebula" a little more than a week ago in Bol, their capital. They are asking the government to set up more military bases and patrols or to arm local hunters.
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Read on on the same topics:
- Chad
- Boko Haram