Maroua:Cameroon is taking steps to reinstate community vigilante committees in the Far North as part of a renewed strategy to combat Boko Haram insurgents. According to Cameroon News Agency, the decision was discussed during a security meeting held on Tuesday, September 29, in Maroua. The meeting was chaired by Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji and Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo. It was attended by administrative authorities and senior defense and security officials, who assessed the worsening security situation in the region. Minister Beti Assomo highlighted the significant role that vigilante committees have played in supporting regular security forces, especially in the early years of Boko Haram's insurgency in Cameroon starting in 2014. Community members have been crucial in providing local intelligence, alerting security forces to suspicious activities, and identifying insurgents familiar with the local communities. The government aims to reactivate these committees, whose op erations have diminished recently. Consultations with administrative authorities are underway to ensure their effective relaunch in affected communities. The focus on vigilante groups is being renewed as the Far North continues to experience attacks associated with Boko Haram, along with an ongoing humanitarian crisis and displacement of civilians. Authorities emphasize that these committees are intended to support, not replace, the military, gendarmerie, and police by offering community-level information and early warnings. Vigilante members have suffered significant losses during the conflict, with several being killed while assisting security forces and defending their communities. The government seeks to restore what officials consider a vital community-based component of its security strategy, leveraging the role vigilantes played during the initial phase of the Boko Haram insurgency.
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