YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — At least 50 people were kidnapped in two separate incidents over two days in northern Cameroon, local authorities said Tuesday. The kidnappings occurred Sunday and Monday afternoons by an unknown armed group near the border with Chad, the mayor of Touboro town, Celestin Yandal, told The Associated Press. Seven people have been released so far. Abductions in this area happen often, but locals say the scale of these attacks is rare. The first kidnapping took place between Touboro and Koutere towns, where mostly Chadians were taken as well as some people from Cameroon including students and shopkeepers, the mayor said. The second abduction occurred while people were traveling on a bus from Ngaoundere city to Touboro, he said. Cameroon has been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in the Central African nation in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the area dominated by the French-speaking majority and setting up an independent, English-speaking state. The government has accused the separatists of committing atrocities against civilians. The conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than 750,000 others, according to the United Nations. The country also faces a threat from Islamic extremists in the region. Home Delivery Gift Subscriptions Log In Manage My Account Customer Service Delivery Issues Feedback News Tips Help & FAQs Staff List Advertise Newsletters View the ePaper Order Back Issues News in Education Search the Archives Privacy Policy Terms of Service Terms of Purchase Work at Boston Globe Media Internship Program Co-op Program Do Not Sell My Personal Information Kidnappers are from different African countries and cross borders to capture or hide their victims – making this a complex transnational crime and difficult to contain kidnappers in North Cameroon amassed €3 million in ransom Kidnappings for ransom have increased in the context of North Cameroon’s active agricultural and animal husbandry economy These activities generate significant revenue on the border with the Central African Republic (CAR) are the departments most targeted by kidnappings for ransom Persistent issues of weapons possession and trafficking in these countries partly driven by sociopolitical crises and rebellions provide kidnappers with the means to carry out their activities Sources in North Cameroon told the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) how hostage takers cross these long and porous borders to find targets They subdue their victims and sow fear among civilians chosen for their perceived ability to respond to the ransom demands due to their apparent financial capacity.  The phenomenon is spreading beyond the northern and eastern regions (Far North Adamawa and East) to neighbouring areas in Chad Another was certain that some came from Sudan This cross-border dimension reveals a connection between the Sahel East Africa through Sudan and Central Africa Multiple ex-hostages interviewed by ISS researchers said kidnappers were predominantly Fulani Their accents varied and included those heard in Cameroon These accounts suggest potential links between transhumance across the border and ransom kidnappings in North Cameroon Interviewees also mentioned that some of the nomadic shepherds crossing the Chad and Niger borders into North Cameroon were concealing weapons But the reality is more complex, with multiple independent groups all kidnapping for cash. Sources suggest that kidnappers include Cameroonian armed groups as well as rogue elements among the Cameroonian defence and security forces Their modus operandi comprises three stages they collect information from their accomplices inside the communities they proceed with intimidation and blackmail sending messages to their potential victims asking for a sum of money to be delivered to a specific address they track victims and set up an ambush or carry out raids to capture them They take their victims into difficult-to-access mountains later crossing borders—hostages from Chad or the CAR end up in Cameroon and vice versa The kidnappers forbid the victims’ relatives from alerting the defence and security forces accomplices in communities provide ongoing information on victims’ movements and transactions Strengthening vigilante committees would help curb the ransom kidnapping industry particularly if the ransom is not paid.  The cross-border nature of these ransom kidnappings limits the capacities of Cameroon’s forces Effective responses to this phenomenon demand a coordinated cross-border approach could extend its actions to help address the problem given that all these countries are member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.  the flow of cross-border human trafficking must be systematically monitored by competent authorities in administration This will secure the essential pastoral and cross-border transhumance sector while impeding infiltration who are unmotivated and still untrained and who should include livestock farmers and hunters who control the rural tracks Strengthening their information and early warning capacity through training is crucial cellphone companies could help geolocate kidnappers during ransom negotiations All these measures could help address the problem of kidnapping for ransom in North Cameroon