Life in Cameroon’s Far North remains under heavy security pressure. Between July 1 and Aug. 25, the region recorded about 204 conflict-related incidents and 108 associated deaths, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
Most of the violence was concentrated in three divisions — Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone-et-Chari — along Cameroon’s border with Nigeria. Fighters linked to Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), commonly known as Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) continue to operate across the wider Lake Chad Basin.
Mayo-Sava was the hardest-hit area during the period, accounting for more than half of the recorded incidents. Kolofata and Mora were among the communities most affected, while Hilé Alifa, Waza, Koza and Mayo-Moskota also experienced significant violence.
The latest numbers add to a worrying trend already visible earlier this year. In June, FEWS NET, citing ACLED, reported that attacks against civilians and government forces in the Far North had reached their highest level since 2022. Kolofata alone accounted for almost 30% of the conflict incidents recorded in the region since the beginning of 2026 at that time.
For people living in these communities, insecurity does not stop at the edge of the battlefield. Farmers have struggled to reach their fields, while repeated attacks, displacement and restrictions on movement have reduced the amount of land being cultivated. FEWS NET estimates that cultivated areas in conflict-affected parts of the Far North remain 20% to 40% below pre-crisis levels.
Some communities are also taking a more active role in warning security forces. In July, farmers in Tourou, in Mayo-Tsanaga, alerted Cameroonian troops after fighters crossed into the area from Nigeria. Security forces later ambushed the group. An attack on the same community less than a day later killed a woman and wounded four soldiers and a 15-month-old child, according to Xinhua, as cited by FEWS NET.
The border with Nigeria remains a major factor in the security picture. Militants operating in northern Nigeria have used parts of Cameroon’s Far North to retreat and regroup, while attacks in the region have included killings, kidnappings for ransom and looting.
FEWS NET expects JAS and ISWAP activity to continue through January 2027 in Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone-et-Chari. UNHCR has likewise reported continuing attacks, abductions and violence against communities in Cameroon’s Far North this year.
The latest ACLED figures are not necessarily final. The organization notes that conflict data can be revised as additional information becomes available, while its Cameroon dataset also has some gaps following the loss of an important local reporting source in late 2025.
