Cameroon:
Women share plight as war against Boko Haram leaves many helpless

Women remain one of the most affected groups of persons in the war against the Boko Haram sect in northern Cameroon.

In addition to gender based violence, coping with the war and neglect, some say this year’s edition of the International Women’s Day means nothing but pain and misery to them.

Aissatou, a mother of five has opened up on her plight and that which other women are compelled to go through on a daily basis. After losing her first son in a suicide attack, she says the weight of catering for her family now rests on her shoulders alone.

“I lost my first son in the suicide bomber attacks last week and they took my husband hostage. I have to go to the field to have enough to feed my children” she says.

“This Women’s Day,” she says, “does not inspire me not really those who are in town can celebrate well, eat and drink but not us here in Mozogo we do not know that”.

A similar story is shared by Bernadette, a resident of the town of Papata in the Diamaré division.

She says: “We are forced to go to town to sell either wood or millet and for a profit of 500F you have to walk more than 10km”.

“We are really abandoned. The state must come to our aid” she appeals.

Security and welfare challenges are not the only worries of women in Cameroon’s Far North region. In addition to relying on persons of goodwill to survive, they say health care is another major life threatening issue.

“…It’s not easy for a mother who has 7 children, especially with the health crisis. I lost my husband 3 years ago, my children no longer go to school for lack of means” says Djarta, who revealed that she has had to produce and sell doughnuts just to earn a living.

Despite government efforts, insurgency by the terrorists has been on a rise. Many have cited the diversion of armed forces to the Anglophone regions for the apparent deficiency in military fire power.

Mimi Mefo Info