A bishop in Cameroon says the soldiers who accompany him on his pastoral visits are like "guardian angels".
Bishop Bruno Ateba of Maroua-Mokolo's diocese is the worst-affected area for violence in the country, with around two attacks by Islamist militants every month.
Speaking to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) he said the Jihadist terrorist group Boko Haram has been carrying out “sporadic attacks” in northern Cameroon, mainly to “steal food, livestock, money and even clothes”.
He told ACN that weapons won't solve the violence and urged the importance of education and giving people hope as an antidote to extremism: “The first thing is formation and work.
“If young people have prospects, it will be difficult for Boko Haram to recruit new members and brainwash them.
“At night, most of the population along the border doesn’t sleep at home – some people even sleep under trees.
“Most of the time, the army is there to protect the population, but the partisans of Boko Haram in Cameroon tell Boko Haram in Nigeria when the soldiers are not there.
“The people are afraid. When I go and visit the parishes I am accompanied by soldiers. I call them my guardian angels.”
In the 2024 Global Terrorism Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Cameroon was ranked as the sixth country in Africa and 12th in the world worst affected by terrorism.