A screen grab taken on July 13, 2014 from a video released by the
Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and obtained by AFP shows
the leader of the Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau (centre). FILE PHOTO |
AFP
AFP
As the West fights to keep its youth from the grip of jihadists,
Cameroon's Muslim leaders are struggling to respond to a recruitment
drive by Nigeria's deadly Boko Haram.
In this remote
northeast corner of Cameroon, some 450 young locals from the town of
Kolofata alone joined up over the course of two months, deputy Prime
Minister Amadou Ali said in August.
"No to Boko Haram,"
say signs posted across the region as Muslim authorities seek to keep a
closer eye on preaching and teaching in mosques and religious schools.
"We're
raising awareness in our mosques through Friday prayers," says Imam
Malloum Baba while chatting with residents in Kourgui, about 20
kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Nigeria.
"We're urging people to try to understand true Islam and to not fall into the trap set by these terrorists," he added.
The
Islamist fighters of Boko Haram sowing terror in northern Nigeria have
stepped up their increasingly sophisticated attacks in Cameroon in their
bid to establish an Islamic state.
THE PROBLEM OF IGNORANCE
"Boko
Haram claims to preach Islam, but they don't know anything about
Islam," said Baba, the Muslim leader. "The problem here is ignorance.
People don't necessarily understand our message fully."
Yet communicating is just one obstacle in the region, which has a whopping 65 per cent poverty rate.
There
are few opportunities in life here for young people with little or no
schooling apart from farming a plot of land that provides a meagre
living, a local chief — known as a "lamido" — said on condition of anonymity.
"People
are stuck in the system because they didn't go to school and can't get a
job. That's the crowd we need to pay attention to," said the leader, a
well-known member of north Cameroon's Muslim intellectual elite.
Two
months ago, shopkeeper Amadou Bachirou, who lives in the far northern
town of Maroua, saw his childhood friend join Boko Haram.
"He
was very poor and he heard Boko Haram paid well. He told me, 'If you
want, we can go together.' But I can't go. I know he is now sending
money to his family," Bachirou told AFP.
HIRING BONUS
Boko
Haram pays a "hiring bonus" of up to 500,000 Francs CFA (about 760
euros) and a monthly salary of 100,000 Francs CFA (about 150 euros),
according to intelligence sources.
This amounts to a fortune for young people who, if lucky enough to have an income, don't make more than 60 euros per month.
Muslim
leaders on the front line of this struggle for young people's
allegiance face dire choices as Boko Haram attacks multiply.
"At
first we encouraged imams to directly denounce Boko Haram in their
sermons, but many preachers and teachers had their throats slit, so
we've had to come back to a more general message about peace and
tolerance to keep them safe," a Maroua religious leader said.
He
added: "These barbarians have nothing to do with our tolerant Islam.
Many people fall into the trap of the simplistic idea that religious
school is a gateway to Boko Haram."
National leaders too insist that Islam in Cameroon is moderate and tolerant.
"Imams
even go to churches for ecumenical prayers, that's Islam in Cameroon,"
said government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary. "It's our society's
model and we aren't ready to give it up for anything."
It
seems there are plenty in Cameroon who would agree, with villagers
gathering intelligence and even confronting Boko Haram themselves.
"There
have been some cases where guys from Boko Haram were attacked with
machetes," by locals, an unnamed Cameroonian military officer told AFP.
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