The National DDR Policy for Boko Haram Ex-Combatants in the Extreme North of Cameroon. Issues, Challenges and Limits Notes de l'Ifri, October 2023
Surprised and harassed by Boko Haram’s atrocities from mid-2013, the Cameroonian authorities initially responded with strong military and judicial responses that helped to contain the threat and regain control of the situation.
After the escalation of violence, which reached its peak around 2015 with thousands of deaths, the authorities, criticized for their purely military approach to managing this crisis, joined the chorus of countries in the Lake Chad basin by putting in place a policy of taking care of ex-Boko Haram fighters who had defected.
Defined in a regional strategy for the Lake Chad Basin, this care is provided through a national Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program created in 2018 and applied across the Far North province. Unfortunately, due to a lack of political will and funding, the implementation of this program is extremely deficient, to such an extent that the fate of Boko Haram ex-combatants in Cameroon remains unclear and undecided despite the stated reintegration policy.
This content is available in French: La politique nationale de DDR des ex-combattants de Boko Haram à l’Extrême-Nord du Cameroun. Enjeux, défis et limites