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| May 22, 2008 |
KaboIn October 2007 the first wave of displaced people arrived in Kabo: some 2000 terrified people fled the crossfire between a rebel group ( ARPD) and the government troops (FACA). FACA is responsible for the burning of many villages.
Bandits ( Coupeur de Routes) roam freely in most parts of this region and are responsible for the displacement of many thousands of civilians. As they rape, steal and kidnap for ransom they grow in wealth and numbers.
When I was here last year they were one of the many predators roaming the land, but since then they have proliferated and are feared by all, especially anyone who has any assets. The 'Peuhl' people have suffered particularly. Traditionally they are herders and they prospered through maintaining large numbers of cattle . Now they are targeted. Their cattle are being stolen and family members are abducted and held for ransom. The victimized family will sell what little they have left and the whole community, over months that can stretch into years, will raise the money. The bandits can sell the cattle or goods across the border in Chad. Their success in making large sums of money has encouraged them and so people live in terror, afraid to own cattle or even a bicycle, afraid to show any sign of prosperity.
Bandits come from Chad, Nigeria, and Niger.
A Peuhl woman told me, "We once had 40 cattle. The Coupeur de Routes (bandits) came and stole them and they took my son and husband. I was forced to sell what remained to pay for their release. It took me 6 months to pay for my son, then the community came together to pay for my husband. So he was returned. But then he was taken again by the bandits last February. I am still looking for him but I don't know where he is or who took him."
Today about 4000 displaced people live in a bleak camp at Kabo.
I met a young mother who invited me to join her under the sheeting that is her shelter. I will not disclose her name. She spoke in a voice that was barely audible and stared at the ground all the while.
"With 12 other women I was abducted by bandits. We were kept in the forest for 3 days. We were raped and were not given any food or water. I was 4 months pregnant. Then they discarded me. Some of the women fled to Chad. I came here. I keep thinking about what happened to me. I cannot sleep well. I just keep thinking about these things. I have 5 children."