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Chad and its neighbours need to urgently address the problem to curb its spread and prevent collusion with other criminal and extremist forces at work at the Chad-Cameroon-Central African Republic border areas. Mayo-Kebbi West and Logone Oriental, Chad’s two most affected provinces, are situated in this tri-border complex. State control is limited in this peripheral area, and criminals move easily across the porous borders.
In Chad, the kidnappers originate mainly from the cross-border Fulani, Arab and Hausa communities. They collaborate with local accomplices such as traditional authorities and youth, who inform them about whom to kidnap, sources told ISS Today. Anyone considered wealthy in the village or district can be targeted, including traders, herders, farmers, government officials and non-governmental organisation staff. Their children and spouses may also be abducted.
The Chad-Cameroon-CAR border area is a powder keg of crime that needs swift action from all three governments. To bolster safety arrangements, countries must increase security force numbers and provide better equipment to handle the area’s rough terrain, such as off-road vehicles and motorbikes. This would enable the creation of information networks, surveillance posts and more pedestrian and motorised patrols.