Fatimatou Bouba has trouble holding back tears when she tells her story.
A 34-year-old mother, of the ethnic Mbororo group, she fled the Central African Republic (CAR) six months ago – like 45,000 others who have crossed into Cameroon since 2005 – to escape the terror campaign imposed by unknown attackers known only as ‘coupeurs de route’ or ‘zaraguinas’ operating in the west of the country.
She has settled in a small Cameroonian village called Guiwa Yangamo, about 400 km north-east of the capital Yaoundé.
For Bouba, the nightmare started about one year ago in the north-western region of Carnot, where she was living with her husband and seven children.
“The ‘zaraguinas’ came to our home and kidnapped my 10-month-old son. They kept him as a hostage for one month. We had to sell 15 oxen to pay the ransom demanded by the abductors.
“When we got our son back, the skin on the soles of his feet was torn; the ‘zaraguinas’ had forced him to walk through the bush with them as they carried out other raids.”
To avoid falling victim to another attack, Bouba and her husband decided to flee to the region of Bouar, 100 km north of Carnot. But there, the ‘coupeurs de route’ hit again – this time kidnapping their 7-year-old son. They sold nine bulls to get him back. The boy had to spend time in hospital to recover from his four weeks in detention.
“Because of all these ordeals, my husband fell gravely ill. We took him to several hospitals, but he never got better and eventually died.”
With no resources and no family in CAR, Bouba resigned to meet up with a cousin who had settled in Cameroon. It took two months to walk to the Cameroonian border.
“We had almost arrived when one night we fell upon the ‘coupeurs de route’ once again. They took my son who had been kidnapped the first time, as well as the son of a friend who was travelling with us.”
To have them released, she sold the remaining 15 oxen that she had managed to save. Of the 100 cattle she had inherited from her parents and husband, none remained. She was completely destitute when she finally crossed the border with her children.
Today, even if she finally feels safe, life is difficult. The cousin she thought she had in Guiwa Yangamo is no longer there.
“I have no one to help me. I built my hut all alone.”
For a living, Bouba buys manioc plant and resells it. But it is not enough. Her children do not go to school because she cannot afford it. Two of her sons, ages seven and 12, help by collecting wood to resell it downtown.
“My fight is for the survival of my children. And for that, I really need help.”
Click here for another IRIN report on CAR refugees in Cameroon
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
