Government officials in Cameroon and the Central African Republic say the number of civilian kidnappings has spiked along their borders, with armed gangs and rebels demanding as much as $50,000 in ransom.
In addition to the abductions, the rebels and armed gangs loot markets and ranches and send villagers fleeing for safety, said officials in Cameroon's eastern border with the Central African Republic, or CAR.
Abdoulahi Bobo, a cattle rancher, said his two wives, three children and elder brother have yet to be found a week after they were taken to the bush by armed men. He said the abductors called him and demanded payment of about $10,000 to secure his family's freedom. Bobo spoke to VOA by messaging app on Thursday from Cameroon's eastern district of Ngaoui, which borders Mont Ngaoui, the highest point in the Central African Republic. He said his family may have been taken to the mountain or neighboring forests.
Cameroon and CAR officials said that some armed rebels disguise themselves as people displaced by the ongoing armed conflicts in CAR. The U.N. peacekeeping mission to CAR, known as MINUSCA, which has troops from Cameroon, this week said forces were deployed to border regions to fight the rebels and seize weapons the rebels abandon when attacked. Cameroon and CAR officials said armed gangs often collect weapons abandoned by rebels and use them in either abducting civilians or stealing.
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