Cameroon Village Militias Women USAGM
Metadata
- Cameroon Village Militias Women USAGM
- February 28, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Cameroon Village Militias Women (TV) HEADLINE: Women Join Cameroon Militias to Fight Boko Haram TEASER: Some women joining volunteer militia groups to keep their villages safe from extremists PUBLISHED AT: 02/xx/2022 BYLINE: Anne Nzouankeu CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Mora, Cameroon VIDEOGRAPHER: Anne Nzouankeu PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, DLJ VIDEO SOURCE: All VOA PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: VID APPROVED BY: TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: )) ((INTRO)) [[In the last few years, villages along Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria have formed militias to ward off Boko Haram militants and inform authorities about suspicious activities. These so-called vigilance committees were exclusively male until last year when a number of women joined. Anne Nzouankeu reports from Mora, Cameroon.]] ((VIDEO-VOA: AWA YOUSSOUFA TAKES HER BOW AND ARROW AND GOES TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE MILITIA, VARIOUS CONTROL OF A PASSER-BY)) ((NARRATOR)) Every morning, Awa Youssoufa takes her bow and arrow and joins her colleagues at the entrance of her village. She is part of a local militia in Mora, a Cameroonian town not far from the border with Nigeria. The militia’s role is to stop all strangers who enter the town. They check the visitors to make sure they are not carrying explosives. Awa is one of four women in the 132-member group. She says she had to prove herself to be accepted. ((Awa Youssoufa, Militia Woman (Female, Fufuldé, 18 secs)) “One day I was coming back from the farm, and I saw a young girl who seemed strange and called the military. The military questioned the girl and confirmed that she was suspicious. The military asked me if I was a member of the vigilante committee, I said no. They then took me to the chief and the chief told me that from now on I could be part of the committee.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS AWA AND THE VILLAGE MILITIA, VARIOUS ADJA CLEANS HER HOUSE)) ((NARRATOR)) Self-defense committees emerged in Cameroon’s far north some years ago to protect against Boko Haram. While these groups once consisted solely of men, some women have joined in recent years and take part in surveillance activities in the field. Other women are like Adja, not her real name, who monitor women’s circles in their villages to detect who may be helping Boko Haram. ((Adja, Militia Woman (Female, Mandara, 18 secs)) PLEASE BLUR HER FACE “There were women who communicated with their husbands in the bush. The husbands would send them money and the women would buy petrol to send to the bush. I found out that they used to put the petrol in plastic bags to make it seem like drinking water. They put them in coolers and transported them to Nigeria. Thanks to my information, the military raided the area and dismantled the network.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS SHOWING MACHETE, SLINGSHOT, BOW AND ARROW, VARIOUS BAG INSPECTION)) ((NARRATOR)) Militia members carry no guns, using only machetes, slingshots, bows and arrows. They inspect bags to make sure that no dangerous objects are hidden inside. They all work as volunteers but would like to be compensated. ((Wagabe, Kourgui Vigilance Committee President (Male, French, 18 secs)) “Concretely, we want them to give us at the end of each month at least a per diem as well as food because we are no longer farming. We have farms but we can no longer work them. It is really difficult to eat even at home.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS ZAKI BOUKAR)) ((NARRATOR)) VOA interviewed the deputy mayor of Mora who said aid is already being given to the militias. ((Zaki Boukar, Mora Deputy Mayor (Male, French, 18 secs)) “They have been subsidized with a lot of material and financial support. And also, they are being trained by the development partners who came and gave them support. All this is the work of the head of state, who has maintained good relations with development partners.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS AWA AND THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE)) ((NARRATOR)) Mora officials say plans are under way to increase the number of women working with the village militias. ((Anne Nzouankeu, for VOA News, Mora, Cameroon.))
- Transcript/Script FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Cameroon Village Militias Women (TV) HEADLINE: Women Join Cameroon Militias to Fight Boko Haram TEASER: Some women joining volunteer militia groups to keep their villages safe from extremists PUBLISHED AT: 02/xx/2022 BYLINE: Anne Nzouankeu CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Mora, Cameroon VIDEOGRAPHER: Anne Nzouankeu PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, DLJ VIDEO SOURCE: All VOA PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: VID APPROVED BY: TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: )) ((INTRO)) [[In the last few years, villages along Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria have formed militias to ward off Boko Haram militants and inform authorities about suspicious activities. These so-called vigilance committees were exclusively male until last year when a number of women joined. Anne Nzouankeu reports from Mora, Cameroon.]] ((VIDEO-VOA: AWA YOUSSOUFA TAKES HER BOW AND ARROW AND GOES TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE MILITIA, VARIOUS CONTROL OF A PASSER-BY)) ((NARRATOR)) Every morning, Awa Youssoufa takes her bow and arrow and joins her colleagues at the entrance of her village. She is part of a local militia in Mora, a Cameroonian town not far from the border with Nigeria. The militia’s role is to stop all strangers who enter the town. They check the visitors to make sure they are not carrying explosives. Awa is one of four women in the 132-member group. She says she had to prove herself to be accepted. ((Awa Youssoufa, Militia Woman (Female, Fufuldé, 18 secs)) “One day I was coming back from the farm, and I saw a young girl who seemed strange and called the military. The military questioned the girl and confirmed that she was suspicious. The military asked me if I was a member of the vigilante committee, I said no. They then took me to the chief and the chief told me that from now on I could be part of the committee.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS AWA AND THE VILLAGE MILITIA, VARIOUS ADJA CLEANS HER HOUSE)) ((NARRATOR)) Self-defense committees emerged in Cameroon’s far north some years ago to protect against Boko Haram. While these groups once consisted solely of men, some women have joined in recent years and take part in surveillance activities in the field. Other women are like Adja, not her real name, who monitor women’s circles in their villages to detect who may be helping Boko Haram. ((Adja, Militia Woman (Female, Mandara, 18 secs)) PLEASE BLUR HER FACE “There were women who communicated with their husbands in the bush. The husbands would send them money and the women would buy petrol to send to the bush. I found out that they used to put the petrol in plastic bags to make it seem like drinking water. They put them in coolers and transported them to Nigeria. Thanks to my information, the military raided the area and dismantled the network.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS SHOWING MACHETE, SLINGSHOT, BOW AND ARROW, VARIOUS BAG INSPECTION)) ((NARRATOR)) Militia members carry no guns, using only machetes, slingshots, bows and arrows. They inspect bags to make sure that no dangerous objects are hidden inside. They all work as volunteers but would like to be compensated. ((Wagabe, Kourgui Vigilance Committee President (Male, French, 18 secs)) “Concretely, we want them to give us at the end of each month at least a per diem as well as food because we are no longer farming. We have farms but we can no longer work them. It is really difficult to eat even at home.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS ZAKI BOUKAR)) ((NARRATOR)) VOA interviewed the deputy mayor of Mora who said aid is already being given to the militias. ((Zaki Boukar, Mora Deputy Mayor (Male, French, 18 secs)) “They have been subsidized with a lot of material and financial support. And also, they are being trained by the development partners who came and gave them support. All this is the work of the head of state, who has maintained good relations with development partners.” ((VIDEO-VOA: VARIOUS AWA AND THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE)) ((NARRATOR)) Mora officials say plans are under way to increase the number of women working with the village militias. ((Anne Nzouankeu, for VOA News, Mora, Cameroon.))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date February 28, 2022 12:18 EST
- Byline Anne Nzouankeu
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America