Cameroon-Chad Border Security : Complex Phenomenon, Concerted Actions

Cross-border organised crime, trafficking, violent extremism and smuggling are some of the unlawful activities that transpire along the boundaries between Cameroon and Chad. The security situation further made delicate by Boko Haram attacks have increased the vulnerability of the populations in the border localities. Clashes between fishermen and herders along the said borders equally constitute a security threat, with the renewed conflicts in December 2021 and early January 2022 impacting some 60,000 persons. The economic and social impact of violence around the borders have killed thousands of persons and forced others to displace, especially around the Lake Chad area which is rich in agriculture. Smuggling appears as a more complex phenomenon along the Cameroon/Chad borders. Survival smuggling, implemented at small and local scale, especially by the youths (a set of border practitioners) is common place, coupled with the somehow porous nature of the boundaries. 
To counter the ongoing threats, the governments of Cameroon and Chad collaborate to ensure the safe movement of persons and goods across their common borders. Military officials of the two countries constantly carry out mixed patrols along the borders, besides the institutional security posts that...