East : Mbah Lainde inhabitants traumatized by frequent kidnappings

Inhabitants of the Mbah Lainde village in the Eastern region, near the border with Chad, have said the rate of kidnapping in the area is alarming.

According to one of the victims, Touhoulia Elie who is a farmer, he was miraculously saved. He explains he was abducted while working in the fields and his kidnappers forced him to walk for days to neighboring Chad where their base is found:

“When they brought me to their camp after days of walking, they beat me wounding me in the head while some of them smoked and put out their cigarettes on my back,” he recalls.

The recurring incidents have traumatized the whole community  as many can no longer go about their normal activities for fear of being kidnapped.

According to the Mayor of Touboro, Celestine Yandal, the figures recorded are quite disturbing:

“From January till today there have been hundreds of kidnappings and the ransoms that have been paid are estimated at F CFA millions. In the past three months only, about 60 kidnappings for ransom have been recorded.”

He says the communities which rely on agriculture, livestock and trade can no longer  produce as before considering these frequent kidnappings have disrupted these activities leaving villages in this area in devastated states.

The inhabitants are calling on the government to act so that they can safely resume their activities.