Jihadists and other armed groups kidnapped some 500 women and children in just one week this March. Several security experts warn that the Government does not have the technological capacity to track criminals.
Since 2019 almost 15,400 people have been kidnapped in the country, according to a report from the consultancy SBM Intelligence. Between 2011 and 2020, this firm estimates that the ransoms paid amounted to more than 18 million dollars (approximately 14.5 million euros) In some areas, the rise in religiously motivated kidnappings is beginning to gain ground.