Many interviewees who left Boko Haram spent time in
government reintegration or transit centres where basic
needs support was provided (but often not enough).
Overcrowding in these centres further meant children
often did not have safe places to play, and women lacked
spaces that ensure their privacy and dignity. Still, the
interviewed women tended to view service provision as
adequate, while some men had higher expectations and
were frustrated with the support they received, wanting to
restart their livelihoods. Women and men alike noted a
lack of follow-up support upon returning to their home or
another community.
Across the Lake Chad Basin, people who exit Boko Haram’s two main groups – Jamā'at
Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād (JAS) and Wilāyat Gharb Ifrīqīyā or the Islamic
State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) – are facing numerous challenges, as do the
communities in which they have settled (1). Based on MEAC’s research with affected
populations in the Far North of Cameroon, the Lake Region in Chad, and North East
Nigeria, this brief explores their main concerns and needs (2).
The Current Needs of Former Boko Haram
Associates and Their Communities of Return
Food, water, shelter, clothing and healthcare
remain the most urgent needs for people coming
out of Boko Haram – even years after their exit
Key Takeaways from Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria
Due to continued attacks by Boko Haram near the Cameroon-Nigeria border
and on the islands of Lake Chad, many ex-associates were reintegrating into
situations of displacement. Protracted insecurity had blocked their return
home and access to fertile lands – a key impediment to ensuring sufficient
food and livelihoods. Men who exited Boko Haram were further prevented
from working in some of these areas as they face a higher risk of revenge
killings by the group. In order to protect them, it was often women and
children who farmed and collected firewood – despite the risks of abduction,
rape, and other violence. Post-exit, some women who had been with Boko
Haram reported receiving threats from men they had been forced to marry in
the bush and from whom they had escaped. Likewise, communities in which
returnees had settled also faced risks of being targeted by the group.
Despite the ongoing insecurity, interviewed community members were
generally welcoming of those exiting Boko Haram but needed assurances
that former associates would not become violent.
Security is a key concern for both former associates and the
communities that they return to
