About ten joint security checkpoints were officially handed over to local authorities in the Noun department of Cameroon’s West Region on Feb. 17, 2026, during a ceremony aimed at strengthening security in an area affected by spillover from the Anglophone conflict.
The ceremony was presided over by CPDM Senator for the West Aminatou Ngangoube, a member of the Senate's defense and security committee, according to Cameroon Tribune.
The checkpoints were financed with support from the Special Equipment and Intercommunal Intervention Fund (Feicom). They are intended to address insecurity reported in several localities of the department, where separatist armed groups have periodically extended their incursions from the Northwest and Southwest regions, which have been engulfed in armed conflict since 2017.
While the epicenter of the violence remains in the Anglophone regions, the Noun department has for several years been affected by spillover facilitated by porous administrative borders.
A previous incident remains fresh in authorities’ minds. In August 2022, armed men from the Northwest attacked a police post in the department, killing two security force members before withdrawing. The attack renewed fears that the conflict could spread geographically.
The crisis began in late 2016 with professional grievances among Anglophone teachers and lawyers before gradually becoming militarized. It now pits government forces against separatist groups seeking the secession of the Anglophone regions. Ambushes, targeted attacks, kidnappings and intimidation have fueled a conflict that has caused thousands of deaths and displaced many civilians.
In this context, the deployment of joint checkpoints bringing together multiple security forces serves a dual purpose: deterring armed incursions and reassuring local populations. The installations are expected to facilitate patrols, improve security coverage and strengthen response capacity if threats arise. Their commissioning is part of a stabilization strategy for peripheral areas indirectly affected by the conflict, aimed at preventing armed groups from establishing a lasting presence and stopping insecurity from becoming entrenched.
P.N.N