About 500 Nigerian residents flee to Cameroon — Premium Times Nigeria
About 500 residents of the Mbamnga community in Taraba State in northeastern Nigeria fled to border settlements in Cameroon after attacks that killed several people, including security personnel. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, civilians were also among those killed.
Flight to Cameroon
Most of the displaced people are women and children from Wuro-Geroji, a suburb of Mbamnga. They crossed the border after members of armed groups wielding machetes attacked their homes.
As of Friday, community leaders had registered approximately 502 displaced people in the Cameroonian border villages of Ntong, Faam-Mfe, Nwa and Yang. Authorities in the Sardauna Local Government Area imposed a round-the-clock curfew in Mbamnga to restore order and prevent further violence. Security personnel were also deployed to the area.
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Causes of the escalation
According to local residents, tensions escalated after a deadly clash between a herder and a farmer. The dispute developed into large-scale violence: several houses were destroyed and livestock was killed, including in the herders' settlement of Wuro-Geroji.
Those killed include an elderly woman, Hajja Mbamnga, and her son, Shuaibu Bammi, who, according to the publication, tried to protect her. State parliament member for the Mbamnga constituency Abel Dia called on security agencies to protect residents of the affected communities and conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the deaths.
The Mambilla Plateau region has experienced similar unrest before. The publication notes that conflicts between farmers and herders there are linked to land ownership issues, ethnic identity and competition for resources.
