9 people taken hostage between March and May 2015 in Bélel

The inhabitants of the small town of Teruah Goundjel, located about 50 km from Bélel, has been under attack by thugs of which 9 people have been taken hostage between March and May 2015.

According to an eyewitness accounts, a dozen armed men entered the house of the traditional chief (Djaourou) named Moussa indicating they knew exactly what they were looking for.

“Four of the six wanted persons were around today, the other two were in Ngaoundere”, revealed another witness.

Among those kidnapped that day were two children of Djaouro aged 12 and 14 years respectively, and two of his younger brothers all aged 25.

Before leaving, the kidnappers told the Djaouro that they would soon contact him to tell him the terms and conditions before releasing the hostages.

The kidnapping was the umpteenth gender in this district located in the department of Vina on the edge of Mayo-Rey, Nord region.

“Since the Boko Haram happenings at the Far North, the safety measures have been a little less so we suffer the consequences of war in the Central African Republic. We need the authorities to strengthen security in this district”, said a local resident.

The recurring abduction in and around Bélel poses a serious threat to the local economy in that it targets mainly farmers and their relatives.

Forced to pay FCFA million ransom to the kidnappers, farmers who are impoverished are forced to desert the villages. The phenomenon which only occurred at the border shared with the Central African Republic, now seem to enter inside the country.

The hostages that were taken in the Tourningal locality for instance is close to Ngaoundere and Bélel towns which are close to the border. Several sources point fingers at CAR where the state is failing.

On the night of April 24 to 25, 2015, the Mayo-Laouré village chieftaincy 3rd degree Tournigal Hossere, was invaded by four kidnappers.

They left with two brothers, Hamidou, aged 38 and his brother Ismaela 50 years.the family have not heard any news from them since that day. For now, no ransom has been demanded. That same night, three people aged between 14 and 28 years were abducted from the Mapalang village headed by the third-degree chieftancy, Goundjel Teruah.

"The three abductees are young people who were returning from a wedding. They were kidnapped on their way back. But the kidnappers have already been reported on the hostage of these three young Cameroonians”, recounts Mfopou Aliyu, sub-prefect of the district of Bélel.

"The kidnappers called and demanded a ransom of 15 million CFA francs. What is often annoying is that while the military forces are planning on strategies to free the hostages, the families pay the ransoms to these highwaymen without the knowledge of the authorities”.

It’s after the hostages have been released before they tell us. You should understand that sometimes people do not help us to eradicate this phenomenon in our district who have become infamous with the multiple hostage-taking, "says Aliyu Mfopou.

Some months ago also the kidnappers took five people hostage in the Mayo-Laouré village. They were released after a ransom of 20 million CFA francs was paid.

DEAD

According to sources from the eye of the Sahel, two of the five hostages taken on the night of April 24 to 25, 2015 at the Mayo-Laouré village, were killed by their torturers. The victims were identified as Safiou and Aboubakar Mohamadou, both from the same family.

The other three hostages taken that night namely Ibrahim, 14 from the Mapalang village; Alidou Ismaela and the Ngoundjel village pastor were released without any condition.

The tragic outcome of the hostage was not the first to happen in that locality. The kidnappers had killed one of their hostage a few months ago in retaliation from gun shots they received from the Cameroonian military.

ARRESTS

Malam Said Bakari and his son were captured on the night of April 27 to 28, 2015, by members of the Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (BIR). This operation took place in the Bakari-Bata locality, located at the Bélel district, department of Vina.

According to military sources, it all started with the arrest of two suspects of the BIR in Ngaoundere. It was while they were interrogating the arrested BIR members when they revealed their leader was in Bakari-Bata.

“The military took to the village and found out the hideout of the kidnapperss. During the raid of the military in their home a search was made. In the process of the search weapons like Kalashnikov AK 47 and three boxes full of ammunition chargers which were 90 in total”, said a military source.

Malam Said Bakari and his son have been in the hands of the Bataillon d’Intervention since April 28, 2015. "We want to fully interrogate to find out the possible hideout of the other criminals”, said the military source.