Calls Mount for Gov’t Action as Suspected Boko Haram Hostages Remain in Captivity
By Synthia Lateu
Calls are intensifying across Cameroon for the government to secure the release of five children reportedly kidnapped by armed individuals in the Far North Region.
The abductors are believed to be members of the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has operated in the region since 2014. According to sources, the attackers took advantage of the deplorable state of National Road No. 1, particularly the notorious Kousseri–Maroua section to carry out the abduction.
The incident occurred on August 13, when dozens of passengers traveling in a Touristique Agency bus returning to Yaoundé from the Far North were seized. While several victims were later released after paying ransom, five children, who had been returning from holiday ahead of school resumption, remain in captivity.
A video circulated online shows a young man, seemingly a relative of the victims, standing beside the children’s mother. In the recording, he recounts that the kidnappers called and allowed one of the children to plead for their release. The child reportedly said their eldest brother had already been killed and warned that the others would face the same fate if ransom was not paid. The kidnappers allegedly demanded 50 million FCFA for their freedom.
Presidential candidate Cabral Libii was among the first to react, urging urgent state intervention
“The State, whose duty is to protect, must rise up, stand by this family, and do everything possible,” he wrote, adding, “We must stop everything and speak with one voice, in unity of hearts, calling for humanity and responsibility so that these young lives may be saved.”
Another opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, also condemned the government’s silence and expressed solidarity with the affected family
“I urge the Government to do everything in its power to secure the safe release of all the kidnapped hostages and to provide all possible support to the families of the unfortunate victims. The government’s silence on this latest tragedy that strikes the nation, as on several others before, is unbearable. How can we explain to Cameroonians that after more than ten years of war against insecurity in this part of the country, we are still witnessing mass kidnappings? It is time to take back control of the country.” he stated on August 17.
Presidential hopeful Issa Tchiroma Bakary reportedly expressed his support to the family in a phone conversation, while political analyst Aristide Mono openly questioned the government’s silence and inaction.
Meanwhile, the opposition party, Démocratique du Cameroun (UDC) firmly condemned the kidnapping. In a statement signed by it’s National President and presidential candidate, Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, The UDC called on the government to immediately clarify the circumstances of the incident, reinforce security coverage along high-risk roads, and ensure accountability. The party also urged Cameroonians to remain united in the face of the threat and encouraged community leaders, religious figures, and civil society actors to support the families while denouncing any complicity with terrorist groups.
