Boko Haram activities threaten tourism in the North

Northern Region was one of the most popular tourist sites in Cameroon, but nearly two years now, patronage at the far north has taken a nose dive. This has been as a result of the insecurities posed by the Nigerian armed Islamist group, Boko Haram as their multiplied abductions has caused fear in this environment.

"Before now, we had lots of tourists, but now people are afraid to come," revealed Moussa Ali, seller at the artisanal market in Maroua, the capital of the region of the far North located at the narrow strip of land wedged between Chad in the East and Nigeria in the West.

From October to March each year, the Waza national park, famous for its giraffes, its antelope and elephants, hosted thousands of visitors, including expatriates living in Yaoundé and Douala.

Currently, the "red" safe area, where tourists rode horses between Nigeria and Cameroon and hikers went exploring the high plateau of the Kapsikis to enjoy the beautiful lunar landscape with huge rocky peaks has now been abandoned. "You cross the border without even noticing!", one local guide would say to tourists to lure them into exploring further.

In 2013, the kidnapping of the French family mill-Fournier, of the french Georges Vandenbeusch by Boko Haram, was a fatal blow to tourism. "The impact was devastating economically as tourism and crafts are stalled," confirmed the head of communications at the Ministry of tourism, Serge Eric Epouné.

According to him, "the entire region is now stigmatized by the Western media, there is an exaggeration of conditions here causing fear in this part of Cameroon, while only a very small part of the far North is affected by insecurity linked to Boko Haram". On its website, the french Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised not only its nationals, but other tourists to never visit the far North, particularly the North and Adamawa. "It has asked all French people still present in this area to leave as soon as possible.

"This country is exceptional, it is captured in all as miniature Africa, between lush forest to the South, immense beaches to the West and arid Savannah to the North", explains this French residing in Cameroon for almost 25 years.

Thus, tour operators are now trying to offer more cultural sites, by including "traditional kingdoms and chiefdoms route", or the encounter with Pygmies in the forest but unfortunately for them, the northernmost parts is facing high levels of abandonment due to the insecurities in the place.

This arid region growing millet and cotton is marked by a poverty rate that exceeds 65% (according to a report of UNDP, 2010), contrasting with the South and the West.

Even the development assistance and infrastructure projects have been stopped because of the insecurity. For instance the construction of renovation of one of the main roads of the North which is in very poor condition came to a halt after the abduction of ten Chinese workers.