Kidnappings doubled in NW, SW in 2023 – Report.

According to the report released recently, there were close to 450 cases of kidnappings in the two Regions last year. ACLED said the figure more than doubled the number of kidnappings recorded in 2022.

The report attributes the increase in kidnappings to a significant decline in financial support from the Cameroonian Diaspora, which had been a key source of funding for the separatist fighters. 

According to the report, faced with diminishing resources, many armed groups turned to kidnappings for ransom as an alternative source of income. 

“In response to the reduced international financial support, separatist groups increasingly kidnap civilians to fund their operations,” the report stated.

The shift in tactics, the report affirmed, has had a profound impact on the local populations. 

“While kidnapping for ransom have become a reliable fundraising tool for separatist groups, it has also strained relations with local communities and international supporters,” it stated. 

The report noted that separatists have alienated many of their former backers, both at home and abroad, as a result of the several abductions for ransoms. 

“Although effective from a fundraising perspective, the abductions diminished support from local populations and many Diaspora supporters,” ACLED indicated.

The organisation added in its report that: “This elevation in civilian targeting, including a steep rise in abductions and kidnapping for ransom in 2022 and 2023, further compounded the waning support from both the diaspora and local civilians”.

Report regrets growing targeting of civilians

According to the report, as the conflict in the North West and South West Regions has evolved, the nature of attacks on civilians has changed. It stated that in the early stages of the armed conflict, government forces were responsible for over 89% of civilian-targeted attacks.

It stated that since 2020, separatist groups have escalated their attacks on civilians, accounting for nearly 48% of political violence in that year. The swing, the report stated, has not only led to more civilian casualties but also an increase in abductions and ransom demands.

The report revealed that separatists often target individuals who are politically influential or wealthy to be sure of their ransom demands. 

It, however, regretted that ordinary civilians are also abducted, with the ransom amounts varying depending on the victim’s social standing, wealth, and vulnerability.

Members of the defense and security forces, ACLED said, remain among the prime targets for separatist groups, further destabilising the two Regions. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3260 of Tuesday October 15, 2024