Even if the beginnings of an armed conflict and a war are always characterized by bloody acts that create panic and confusion, there are always one or more periods during which repeated attacks are less intense, or even non-existent for a more or less long period which however, does not signify the end of the war or the armed crisis.

A war or armed crisis zone remains an insurrectional space where we must venture cautiously, as long as concrete actions certifying the end of a deleterious situation are not enacted or certified by the highest authorities of the State, and the populations who live there. Indeed, if a large number of schools have been deserted by learners after atrocities, the fact that students and some teachers are gradually returning, does not mean that the return of peace is total. It is just a phase of détente which, however, does not mean the end of the war or the armed crisis. If this were not the case, the teachers who were ordered to return to their positions of responsibility that they were forced to leave, in particular because of the crisis and the war, would not have asked for guarantees of palpable security to be able to return there serenely. Of the nearly 5,000 government employees dismissed from the civil service following an operation launched in 2018, and after the March 2025 update, many of those who left their positions of responsability were teachers. If the reasons are numerous, security-related ones should not be neglected.

The fact that a single Cameroonian lost his life should be a cause for concern, as is every kidnapping of a cameroonian, and every time people submit to the orders of ghost towns. Image: aa.com.tr

The simple fact that the imperative had to face reasoned hesitation, motivated by the reality of a lived past, simply means that in a country at war, where an armed crisis continues, obeying strategic imperatives means agreeing to go to the front lines, to fight against a common enemy, without any guarantee of safety and without weapons.

Theachers want to preserve their lives and request safe conditions because it involves going into a war context. But the imperative lets them know that everything is being done to ensure their safety, without being convincing because there were palpable signs that the conflict and the war were still ongoing, even if, officially, there were no significant and successive losses of human lifes over a long period. It must be said that reactions sometimes give the impression that it is when the extent of the damage is considerable that special attention is paid. Anyway, the fact that a single Cameroonian lost his life should be a cause for concern, as is every kidnapping of a Cameroonian, and every time people submit to the orders of ghost towns.

Without being able to commit terrible acts to the point of taking possession of an entire Territory or a portion of territory because of the presence of national security forces, those whom it is wise to call terrorists today, due to the escalation of the armed conflict in the North West and South West regions, continue to have a certain influence on these territories, which results in a feeling of insecurity. Indeed, even if the presence of the armed forces is reassuring, they cannot be everywhere at the same time. In addition, the observance of the days of ghost towns, and the obligation for some people to pay taxes which finance terrorist organizations determined to sow disorder in the daily lives of the populations, further promote this feeling of significant insecurity.

Even though there is a certain calm in the territories of the Far North, North-West and South-West, the populations of remote villages in particular, continue to live in a constant concern linked to the reality of the presence of terrorist movements in these regions. Although many have had to flee their country and even their regions of origin to return later, either to go back to school or to try to do what they did before, they are fully aware of being in a war context. The soothing statements issued in order to encourage people not to worry about the situation, cannot persuade those on the ground to act otherwise. Violate a ghost town order can be considered as a very high risk in some parts of these territories. Some people have lost loved ones and were unable to attend their funerals due to this insecurity, which requires great caution because, freedom of movement is no longer what it was before the start of the armed crisis; today, she is conditioned by overwhelming demands that denote a desire to spread terror at any cost.

In one of the reports of one of its news editions of April 2, 2025, titled: Dans le Cameroun anglophone, le droit de passage est un fardeau supplémentaire pour les familles endeuillées, the French news radio RFI reported the existence of a haggling activity, which contributes to the survival of a series of terrorist movements. According to witnesses who are experiencing a reality that not all Cameroonians know, those who want to organize funerals in their villages must comply with several obligations in order to have a peaceful stay. With this specific case of a village of the Manyu department, where a victim of the crisis admitted having paid an exorbitant sum to enjoy a certain peace, we have further proof that there are still reasons to worry.

The North West and South West territories are not limited to Bamenda and Buea. 25.81 km² ( according to the Bamenda I Council development plan [2021-2025]) represents nothing compared to 17, 300 km² ( Source: Statistical Yearbook of the North West Region, 2018 Edition); likewise 870 km² out of 25,410km². We cannot say that everything is going well when populations continue to respect ghost town orders, including in regional capitals.

The slight calm prevailing in these regions currently compared to past years does not mean that all is well. Past attacks have heavily impacted the daily lives of populations who, although still alive, are still aware that they are in a war context. Behaviours have been greatly impacted by this crisis, to the point where, in streets, people must be careful not to utter words that could attract extremist glances. Populations are on alert, and this is not only in the North West and South West regions.

The reality of the infiltration of members of terrorist groups into village communities, which will subsequently be massacred by terrorists, has given rise to a very worrying mistrust in the hearts of the natives of certain villages in the Far North region. Image: Wikipedia.org

The reality of the infiltration of members of terrorist groups into village communities, which will subsequently be massacred by terrorists, has given rise to a very worrying mistrust in the hearts of the natives of certain villages in the Far North region. Living together is undermined by repeated attacks, which have led to a distrust of strangers. Past experiences have heavily impacted the daily lives of village communities in the most remote corners of the Far North of the country. Because of past attacks, following terrorist infiltrations into village populations, attitudes of conviviality is today between distrust and extermination without complacency, and without careful investigations requiring a step back in certain situations where distrust and past experiences can now lead to unreasonableness in the face of situations that deserve special attention. The episode of March 2, 2025 says a lot about the state of mind of the populations of the villages impacted by the recurring attacks of terrorist movements, who have chosen to undermine the daily lives of populations who have nerves on edge, and who are determined to take active action to protect their villages from jihadist attacks. A responsible initiative that can have serious consequences, especially when we does not have all the necessary means to make a good discernment, which can permit to avoid disastrous events like the one which caused the death of three innocent Cameroonians, namely two researchers from the Garoua Geological and Mining Institute and their guide. The three men were burned alive in a village in the Mayo Tsanaga department, whose capital is Mokolo. Indeed, according to data reported by several public and private media both nationally and internationally, some members of the community of Balda, a village in the Soulédé-Roua district, mistook the victims of this imprudence for terrorists. This regrettable episode raises several questions that once again reflect the fact that an apparent lull in an armed conflict does not mean that the war is over.

We still remember the joint declaration of war by the Chadian and Cameroonian heads of State in Paris-France, in 2014. It was an official declaration that could only be broken by another one confirming a victory. As long as the Cameroonian government does not officially declare the war over, control of the situation does not mean the end of the war. In addition to the investigations that led to the arrest of several suspects following the deaths of three victims of a tense daily life in one of the villages where there are active vigilance committees, we must ask ourselves some questions to prevent this kind of regrettable situation from recurring. Was the guide not a native of the department or village? Did he not have a family in the area, or was he just a researcher like others, given that a researcher can also be a guide or a spy.  Did he come from a neighbouring village? Didn't the two researchers have permission from the community leaders? These are questions that must be asked to find solutions, so that events like this don't happen again.

In a war context, nothing should be neglected. The unfortunate event in Balda is proof that we must make greater efforts to remedy this situation, in a region and more specifically several villages in a group of departments that remain under tension despite an apparent lull, which does not mean the end of the war. Hence the demand of the national union of researchers, namely, better protection for researchers on missions, especially in regions under tension, due to jihadist attacks whose cruelty has forced thousands of peoples to start from scratch thanks in particular to a set of charitable organizations dedicated to the task. In 2021, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided economic assistance to more than 15,000 households from the North-West and South-West regions who was still alive, unlike many of their loved ones who lost their lives following the recurring attacks by terrorist movements in the North West, South West, and Far North of Cameroon.

Aware of the difficulties of the Cameroonian population, and especially those most affected by the recurring attacks of terrorist movements, the Cameroonian government always advocates resilience that cannot be effective without courage actively supported by a group of actors who have the means to ease the daily ordeal of displaced populations, and those who find themselves elsewhere. Indeed, it is a group of Cameroonians who in a large majority are doing everything possible to take up the challenge to rebuild oneself, after having lived a traumatic ordeal. Their courage would not have borne fruit if their moral strength had not been supported by the government and several other actors in favour of peace, even if the efforts undertaken remain insufficient because the long-term objective of all helping hands is not only to help the main families to meet their daily needs, but to find the means to help them meet their needs by themselves, by helping them in the exercise of an income-generating activity which requires first the financing of studies, the payment of rents, donations of mattresses and other basic food products, without forgetting to mention the granting of materials for working the land, in order to relaunch local production which not only allows the people concerned to meet their needs, but also to sell the product of their harvests in local markets. Even if this does not guarantee an exit from precariousness, it is still better than nothing because the insufficiency of financial resources does not allow all victims to have the same privileges. This is why everyone chooses to rebuild themselves as best they can, in order to have something to eat. The value judgments made in view of the reality of certain facts are unimportant. Everyone is free to do what they consider to be best for them, without harming others, while hoping to have a better life in an honest way.

Insecurity in the North West, South West and Far North regions has led not only individuals to rebuild their lives, but also a State that must evaluate the social consequences of the crisis and war in order to find more ways to contribute to the financial empowerment of victims. The many needs in the face of limited resources mean that more effort must be made, to help more people who have found ways to rebuild their lives in Cameroon or elsewhere, particularly in certain territories of Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, while hoping that the political and security situation in these parts of their Territory will improve because, strictly speaking, it's always better to be at home, even if it can happen that an adopted State is a second homeland. Survivors of the recurring attacks by terrorist movements also carry the hope of a better tomorrow in a set of territories that are of great importance in the country's growth process, notably the attraction of potential investors, who do not like the noise of weapons.

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