Cameroon’s Far North Records 204 Conflict Incidents and 108 Deaths in Less Than Two Months

Persistent violence in Cameroon’s Far North is further restricting access to farmland and disrupting agricultural activity, with about 204 conflict-related incidents and 108 associated deaths reported between July 1 and August 25, 2026.

FEWS NET cited figures from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) in its September 3 update on food security in Cameroon. Violence remains concentrated mainly in Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone-et-Chari, where Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are active.

According to FEWS NET, Mayo-Sava, particularly the districts of Kolofata and Mora, accounted for more than half of the incidents recorded during the period. That concentration is consistent with observations the organization published in June, when Kolofata alone accounted for nearly 30% of conflict-related incidents reported in the Far North since the start of 2026.

FEWS NET also said attacks against civilians and government forces had reached their highest level since 2022. Mora, Hilé Alifa, Waza, Koza and Mayo-Moskota were among the other areas heavily affected.

The July-August figures, however, remain subject to change. ACLED says some information from local networks in Cameroon is incorporated with a delay of about two weeks. It also notes that a major source for its Far North coverage, which accounted for about 18% of its Cameroon dataset while available, has stopped publishing data since October 2025. Recent figures could therefore be supplemented or revised after their initial release.

Farmers Take Part in Early Warnings

FEWS NET also reports greater involvement by some communities in alerting security forces to potential attacks. An incident in Tourou, Mayo-Tsanaga, illustrates how this works.

On July 14, Xinhua reported, citing a security source, that farmers had alerted Cameroonian forces to the presence of fighters who had arrived from Nigeria and were preparing an incursion into the border community. Members of Cameroon’s Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) then ambushed the fighters before they entered the village. Two fighters were killed and several others wounded.

Tourou was attacked again less than 24 hours later. According to Xinhua, Boko Haram fighters targeted an army outpost. One woman was killed, four soldiers were wounded and a 15-month-old infant suffered a serious gunshot wound.

Available information does not establish that the second attack was retaliation for the farmers’ warning the previous day.

FEWS NET nevertheless says cooperation between local communities and security forces increases the risk of reprisals in border areas. Some farmers, concerned that they could be identified as informants or army collaborators, have reduced their movements and time in their fields. The organization considers communities that host military positions particularly exposed.

Conflict Has Already Cut Agricultural Activity

Those restrictions come on top of broader disruptions to agricultural production in the region. In its June outlook, FEWS NET estimated that cultivated areas in conflict-affected parts of Cameroon remained 20% to 40% below pre-crisis levels because of limited access to land, insecurity and repeated population displacement.

The reduction in cultivated land has also weakened demand for agricultural labor in the Far North. In June, daily wages for land clearing ranged from CFA700 to CFA1,000, more than 50% below pre-conflict levels.

FEWS NET does not expect the security threat to disappear in the coming months. Its outlook through January 2027 identifies Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone-et-Chari as the main areas of JAS and ISWAP activity.

The organization says military pressure on these groups in Nigeria could lead to further cross-border movements into Cameroon, with fighters using border areas to retreat and resume operations. ACLED had already reported an increase in violence in Mayo-Tsanaga in July, after insurgent activity there reached its highest level since July 2025 during the previous month.

Stronger military deployments and the activities of community vigilance committees could limit some incursions, but FEWS NET expects attacks, population displacement and disruptions to farming and trade to continue. In the hardest-hit areas of the Far North, upcoming harvests are therefore expected to provide only partial relief for households whose access to farmland, markets and income remains constrained by conflict.

Thierry Christophe Yamb