Recent Boko Haram Incursions: Dwindling Collaboration, Tactical Shits To Blame

U nfortunately, recent attacks and kidnappings as well as armed incursions along bor­ der localities in the Far North Region of Cameroon are returning. A number of factors explain the recent surge in Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacks in the border locality of the afore­ mentioned region. They include, amongst others, the recruitment and appointment of Cameroonians in the raids teams, declining colla­ boration amongst stakeholders on grounds that the enemy had been forced to retract, divergence of re­ sources, excess reliance on vigilante committees, socio-economic vulne­ rabilities and the use of advanced weaponry and transnational al­ liances by the said armed group. Recruiting Cameroonian fighters and promoting them to high-ranking leadership roles is one of the factors that account for the resurgence of the attacks. These local comman­ ders leverage their intimate know­ ledge of the regional terrain, com­ munity dynamics, and family net­ works. This insider familiarity allows them to coordinate extortion, target local villages more effectively, and launder stolen livestock across bor­ ders far better than foreign fighters would on their own. Attacks which cause the desertion of farming in several localities has sadly paralyzed the economy of the region. This weak economic mobility creates a fertile environ­ ment for Boko Haram to recruit vul­ nerable, out-of-work youth using financial incentives to persuade them who in return give them ample information to facilitate their in­ surgencies. In addition, recent assessments from the region indicate that the devilish groups are increasingly using advanced military weaponry. They have also forged deep alliances with powerful transnational criminal entities which allows various Boko Haram and ISWAP factions to tran­ sition their asymmetric capabilities into deadlier and highly coordinated cross-border raids. The outbreak of the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West Regions has regrettably in­ creased pressure on government resources, making financial ...