As the search for nearly 300 missing Nigerian schoolgirls languishes, neighboring Cameroon is helping gather intelligence that might lead to the girls' rescue.
But that can be complicated.
Near the Nigerian border, where Cameroon’s military was recently seeking information about the girls, villagers distrust their central government. Some support Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group that abducted the girls from their school last month, and others are terrified
A local expert told NBC News 20 people have been assassinated after speaking to authorities over the last year.
Such violence is not new in Cameroon — in its bid to create an Islamic state, Boko Haram has waged several attacks over the last five years.
On Friday, the group was suspected of attacking a Chinese work site in the north of the country. After a five-hour gunfight, authorities were investigating reports that at least one Cameroon soldier was killed and 10 people were abducted.
—Reuters contributed to this story.
