This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
Yaounde, Cameroon - August 11, 2019
For the first time in 20 years, 41-year-old Abdoul Aziz will not have a sheep to sacrifice during the Eid al-Adha feast. The scarcity of sheep in Cameroon is attributed to the Boko Haram conflict and separatist war in the country's main production areas.
Aziz has decided to buy a goat instead, citing the drastic increase in sheep prices. He is not alone, as some families are opting for chickens, sparking debates on whether the substitution is religiously correct.
According to Imam Mohaman Aboubakar, assistant Imam of Yaounde's central Mosque, Islam allows people to adjust with the changing times. He believes that Muslims can turn to goats and fowls as substitutes for sheep, as their religion finds nothing wrong with it.
The scarcity of sheep is not a new issue in Cameroon. In 2016, the World Bank approved a $100 million fund to help the country improve the productivity and competitiveness of livestock production over six years. However, the program has yet to yield significant results.
Recently, Cameroon began distributing 60,000 goats and sheep to young people in villages along the border with Nigeria to provide livestock for a basic income and replenish what has been lost. However, the efforts have been hampered by repeated attacks and seizure of cattle by separatists.
More than a thousand Mbororos, an indigenous people in Cameroon, have fled their cattle ranches following repeated attacks and seizure of their cattle by separatists. They claim to be victims of the conflict and are being killed because they refuse to join the fight.
Cameroon Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma, a Muslim himself, has acknowledged the negative impact of the crises on livestock production. He attributes the decline to the escape of people from ranches in the far north region of Cameroon due to Boko Haram terrorism and the English speaking north west region due to the war against separatist groups.
