History of the Masa People of Cameroon and Chad

The Masa people, also called Masana, Banana, or Yagoua are a Chadic ethnic group that is found in Cameroon and Chad. They originated from Yemen, then migrated to Egypt before moving to Sudan. This was during the years when they avoided being converted to Islam. The Masa people, over time, have been famous for fishing and rearing cattle. In the early 800's, the Masa people left Sudan to lake Chad. They lived near the Chad border, and were targets of slave traders from Tripoli during the Middle Eastern slave trade. In order to escape from the slave traders, many of the Masa people crossed the Chad river to the geographical space now known as Cameroon. This marked the origin of the Masa tribe in Cameroon. As if the struggles during the Middle Eastern slave trade weren't enough, the Masa people were victims of the transatlantic slave trade, as they were vulnerable to the slave traders who came from Nigeria. They, however, remain celebrated for never participating in the slave trade, as they never sold their fellow Masa into any form of slavery. They also tried hard to resist capture. With an estimated population of 266,000 to 469,000, the majority of the Masa people reside in Cameroon, with most of them speaking Masana, the language of the Masa people. While 45% of the population are Muslims, another 45% are Christians, among which 30% are Catholics or Protestants, while 15%  are Evangelical Christians. In recent years, the Masa people have been more active in livestock farming. There have been several battles between the Cameroonian and Chadian livestock farmers, leaving many wounded.
These battles were usually because some of the farmers were accused of stealing cows. These battles were also owing to the fact that the Masa people are passionate about their livestock. This reflects its importance in social relations and exchanges. For instance, livestock is used as bride price in Masa communities.