With less than 72 hours to go before schools reopen in Cameroon for the 2026/2027 academic year, the atmosphere in the Far North region is not one of preparing school bags and supplies.
In areas affected by Boko Haram attacks, kidnappings for ransom, and population displacement, the return to classes remains uncertain.
Here, insecurity has upended daily life. Abandoned homes, deserted villages, and displaced families—all of which compromise the education of countless children. For these pupils, returning to school has become a real challenge.
Parents, meanwhile, face a more pressing urgency: ensuring the survival of their families. Crop losses, resulting from displacement and insecurity, have further weakened households. For many parents, enrolling their children in school has become a burden too heavy to bear.
“We have been left to fend for ourselves. We have lost loved ones. This is not a time for back-to-school preparations, but for survival—to be able to feed our children,” one father explained.
In these hard-hit communities, the population no longer knows where to turn.
The Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Tsanaga, and Mayo-Sava Divisions are among the areas hardest hit by this security crisis in the Far North.
Mayo-Tsanaga has been particularly affected. Since the start of the crisis, more than 300 people are said to have lost their lives, according to the 5th Deputy Mayor of Mokolo and an elite from Tourou.
On the ground, concern is growing. Residents are calling for a stronger security presence so they can live in peace and send their children back to school.
“We want to see the military. Otherwise, we will be forced to flee to Nigeria as refugees, because enough is enough. What republic are we in, after all?” fumed Amadou, a retiree.
Just hours before the start of the school year, beyond the missing supplies and sometimes deserted classrooms, another battle is unfolding: the struggle for survival and the future of children.
In these areas scarred by insecurity, the start of the school year remains contingent on the evolving security situation and the response of the authorities.