By Vincent Matinde — Originally published in Christian Daily International
Two Christians have been kidnapped in northern Cameroon in the latest attack attributed to Boko Haram militants, prompting renewed concern over the safety of believers living in communities near the Nigerian border.
The two Christians were reportedly kidnapped on Aug. 10 when militants attacked the village of Mahoula in Mayo-Sava Division, according to Open Doors UK and Ireland. The victims belong to two different churches.
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Open Doors said the area has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram and related militant groups, with kidnappings, raids, killings, looting and destruction of property leaving Christian families living under persistent fear.
The organisation did not provide the names of the two kidnapped Christians or say whether a ransom demand had been made.
The latest abductions come as Christian leaders in northern Cameroon describe a community struggling not only with physical insecurity but also with the emotional and spiritual consequences of years of violence.
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Pastor Babien, a church leader from nearby Amchidé, told Open Doors that Christians in the area face regular kidnappings, sexual assaults and attacks on church property.
“In the locality of Amchidé, the church is going through many difficulties,” he said.
“We see regular kidnappings and sexual assaults here. We experience the destruction of the church’s property. We face regular attacks.”
The pastor said the repeated violence was beginning to affect the faith and morale of believers.
“I would also like you to pray for us that our faith will not fail,” he said. “Because given these trials, at some point the flesh tells us to let go.”
His comments underline the wider impact of the insecurity. For Christians in the Far North, the threat is not limited to individual attacks. Families have been displaced, livelihoods disrupted and churches forced to operate in an environment where militants can strike communities with little warning.
Christian workers not spared
The latest kidnapping also follows a series of attacks against Christian religious workers elsewhere in Cameroon.
In June, five Catholic clerics and four civilians were reportedly kidnapped along the Bambui-Fundong road in the country’s Northwest Region. The victims included priests, nuns and a Mill Hill missionary. The kidnappings occurred against the backdrop of the long-running conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions.
Days later, a priest and two Franciscan brothers who had been kidnapped in the Northwest Region were released, according to Fides. They had been abducted on June 27.
The incidents demonstrate that Christian leaders and ordinary believers face different forms of insecurity across Cameroon. In the Far North, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, remain major threats. In the Northwest and Southwest, Christians and church leaders are caught up in the country’s separatist conflict.
Open Doors’ latest assessment places Cameroon at No. 37 on its 2026 World Watch List, six places higher than the previous year. The organization says Christians face persecution from several sources, including Islamic extremist groups, government pressure, organized crime and corruption.
In northern Cameroon, Boko Haram and ISWAP have targeted Christian communities through village raids, church attacks, abductions and other forms of violence. Converts from Islam are considered particularly vulnerable.
The scale of the threat is reflected in Open Doors’ 2026 Cameroon country dossier. It records an estimated 100 Christians abducted during its reporting period, although the organisation cautions that many incidents go unreported and that such figures should be understood as minimum estimates. It also records an estimated 100 Christians killed and about 10 000 Christians internally displaced.
Despite the violence, Pastor Babien urged Christians and those supporting them not to abandon hope.
He asked for prayer for the families affected by attacks, including orphans and widows, and for the Christian community to remain strong. He also called for prayer for the militants themselves.
“We want them to be converted,” he said. “I would like you to help us in prayer, so that even those who persecute us believe. Because everything is possible with God.”
Open Doors is asking Christians to pray for the safe release of the two believers kidnapped in Mahoula, for their families and for the wider Christian community in Mayo-Sava.
The organization is also asking for prayer for peace, protection for vulnerable communities and transformation among those responsible for the violence.
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