Mbo people (Cameroon)
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The Mbo people are a Bantu group of the Mbo plain, Littoral Region, Mungo Division, Nkongsamba and Melong subdivisions and in the West Region, Menoua Division, Santchou Subdivision and Upper Nkam Division, Kekem Subdivision of
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. The
Bakossi Forest Reserve The Bakossi Forest Reserve is a reserve within the Bakossi Mountains in Cameroon, home to many rare species of plants, animals and birds. The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park, created by a decree in early 2008. The park c ...
, which includes the
Bakossi National Park The Bakossi National Park (BNP) is a protected area within the Bakossi Forest Reserve, created by a decree in early 2008. The park covers , and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification. Location The Bakossi Mountains are pa ...
, is mainly inhabited by the Bakossi people, but the population also includes Mbo as well as Manehas, Bakem, Baneka, and immigrant Bamiliki people. The Mbo and Banyangi people live in and around the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary. They hunt for bushmeat, which they sell fresh or smoked, and which is a good deal cheaper than other locally available forms of protein. The Mbo of West Cameroon originate from the
Santchou Santchou is a town and commune in Cameroon. It is located in the Menoua division of the South-West region of Cameroon. It is home predominantly to the Mbo people; this is reflected in the name. It is located on a plain and it is part of the regi ...
area in East Cameroon. The Mbo have been restricted to the southern banks of the Betse and Betenten rivers since 1900. They have a long tradition of conflict with the neighboring Bangwa people due to disputes over boundaries, oil palm groves, and kidnappings for slavery. The
Bamileke The Bamileke are a Central African people who inhabit the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. Languages The Bamileke languages belong to the Grassfields branch of the Niger-Congo language family, which is sometimes labeled as a " Bantuoid lang ...
chiefdoms of Fongo Tongo, Foto, Foreke Dschang, and Fondongela all claim origin from the Mbo. In other Bangwa chiefdoms, minor subchiefs claim Mbo ancestry. The Mbo people are extremely poor. They do not have access to medical treatment so there is no HIV Testing and counseling, although
HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
is prevalent.


Genetics

In 2013, discovery of a previously unknown Y-chromosomal haplogroup, dubbed
haplogroup A00 Haplogroup A is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup, which includes all living human Y chromosomes. Bearers of extant sub-clades of haplogroup A are almost exclusively found in Africa (or among descendants of populations which have recently le ...
(AF6) was announced. First found in the Y-chromosome of an
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
male submitted for commercial genealogical analysis, the haplogroup was identified in eleven Y chromosomes of Mbo males (out of a sample of 174, corresponding to 6.3%). The discovery of this division of "haplogroup A00" ancestral from A0-FGC27410 pushes back the estimation of the age of
Y-chromosomal Adam In human genetics, the Y-chromosomal most recent common ancestor (Y-MRCA, informally known as Y-chromosomal Adam) is the patrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA) from whom all currently living humans are descended. He is the most recent mal ...
, the most recent ancestor through direct paternal lines of all humans currently alive to ~250,000 years ago. Currently estimated to 254 kya (95% confidence interval 192-307 kya).


References

{{Authority control Ethnic groups in Cameroon Bantu peoples