Boko Haram resurgence deepens crisis in Cameroon’s Far North

Boko Haram,a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group,has reportedly resurged in Cameroon’s Far North,escalating attacks and plunging the region into renewed insecurity.

Despite earlier joint military successes by Nigeria,Chad,Niger,and Cameroon,fractures within the Lake Chad Basin Commission and fragile civilian protection have allowed the Islamist group to regain strength. In recent months,the group has intensified its operations. On 19–20 May,Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly two-night assault on a military post in Kerawa,near the Nigerian border,killing one Cameroonian soldier and injuring three. In March,12 soldiers were killed in Wulgo,and another attack resulted in the loss of at least 20 soldiers,further demonstrating the group’s growing boldness and firepower.

French news channel Africa 24 has warned that Boko Haram is now using drones and advanced weaponry,including Soviet-made Shilka guns. They have also destroyed key infrastructure and planted IEDs along vital routes,crippling mobility and humanitarian access. Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of Yagoua Diocese in the country’s Far North region has recently highlighted the deepening humanitarian toll,including abductions and school closures. He decried the government’s neglect of the Far North’s education sector,where children study under roofs of scorching heat or none at all. As Boko Haram’s threat re-emerges,Cameroonian communities are left grappling not only with violence,but also with poverty,displacement,and a deepening crisis in education and development.