Cross-border insecurity: Eight hostages kidnapped in Zembe-Borongo

Eight hostages, all of Fulani herdsmen, were abducted by unknown kidnappers, according to locals and security.

"Everything happened in the early morning while the hostages were sleeping in Mouloumba camp, located in the forest, Zembe-Borongo village," our sources said.

A security source said, "We do not have any information and we are continuing our research to find these people, most of them are CAR shepherds whose families have been asked to pay ransom."

The same search is pursued within the framework of the killings that took place two weeks later in the same camp Mouloumba.

"This time, we were made aware of this massacre by other shepherds who left the next day to visit their brothers and had found the bodies of seven victims," recounted the villagers we met on Saturday, December 5, 2015.

"About two weeks ago, around two o'clock in the morning, the shepherds were suddenly attacked. We are unable tell you the means used by the alleged assassins to take the life of their victims, but all indications showed they used massive guns."

Gado-Badzéré

In the Zembe-Borongo village, some people are unsure about the origin of those who spread terror around; others are pointing an accusing finger at "CAR refugees encamped at Gado-Badzéré".

According to proponents of this issue, as neither confirmed nor refuted by any security source, "investigations conducted by elements of the security forces who, having got hold of some alleged troublemakers shows that most of them are from the camp designated for refugees."

Recently in September, the official documents of some of the eleven bodies exposed to the esplanade of the Eastern gendarmerie legion in Bertoua had revealed that about almost all of those killed by the versatile Grouping Intervention of the National Gendarmerie (Gpign) were Central African refugees.

At the time, to describe the modus operandi of these armed groups, security sources claimed that "the weapons of war, usually buried in the ground far from the camp, came out after dark to operate the kidnappings carried out in neighbouring villages or distant relatives."

It is difficult not to believe when listening to the authorities and people of Garoua-Boulaï including Gado-Badzéré which depends on "occult activities taking place in the camp of just over 25,000 refugees some of whom are former Central African soldiers or militia."

Cattle market

Zembe-Borongo, a town of about forty kilometers from Betare-Oya, is equidistant from Gado-Badzéré. According to villagers, "the attacks we suffer can be explained by a strong presence (about 3,050 according to recent counts, ) of Fulani herdsmen, all CAR refugees, who animate every Tuesday the largest cattle market in this region with financial transactions of millions of FCFA.

These are definitely the benefits of this trade that the various armed groups seek through their acts of treason.

Unfortunately, it happens that the shepherds elude the vigilance of the security forces to go and negotiate and pay ransoms in hard cash. "his is what complicates the fight against the suspected bandits," security sources said.