Refugees in Cameroon

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As of 31 August 2020, Cameroon hosted a total refugee population of approximately 421,700. [1] Of these, 280,500 were from the Central African Republic, driven by war and insecurity. In the Far North Region, Cameroon hosts 114,300 Nigerian refugees, with the population sharing their already scarce resources with the refugees.

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In comparison, in 2017, Cameroon hosted a total population of refugees and asylum seekers of approximately 97,400. Of these, 49,300 were from the Central African Republic , [2] 41,600 from Chad, and 2,900 from Nigeria. [3] Kidnappings of Cameroonian citizens by Central African bandits have increased since 2005. [4] The increase is explained by the worsening situation in both neighbouring countries that result in further displacement.

Between 2004 and 2013, 92,000 refugees from the Central African Republic fled to Cameroon "to escape rebel groups and bandits in the north of their country." [5]

In 2014, Cameroon had an estimated 44,000 refugees from Nigeria. Internal Cameroonian refugees also began to leave areas bordering Nigeria to escape Boko Haram violence, especially following the December 2014 Cameroon clashes.

Cameroonian internally displaced persons

In January 2015, many schools in the Far North Region did not re-open immediately after the Christmas vacation following the December 2014 Cameroon clashes, and it was reported that "thousands of teachers, students and pupils have fled schools located along the border due to bloody confrontations between the Cameroon military and suspected Boko Haram militants." The Cameroonian military has deployed forces to ensure safety for students attending schools. [6] [7]

Nigerian refugees in Cameroon

As of 30 October 2013, IRIN reports:

"There are 8,128 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon's Far North Region, but only 5,289 are registered by UNHCR ...

Many of the Nigerians who have fled into Cameroon prefer to stay with friends and family near the border areas.

The refugee population fleeing from Boko Haram are scattered in very inaccessible localities in the north of Cameroon, and many who refuse to be registered and stay in camps are still at the mercy of the [Boko Haram] sect, and are seen as threat to local security," said UNHCR's Hamon.

Authorities fear the lack of registration could ease Boko Haram infiltration into the country. [8]

Between May and July 2014, over 8,000 Nigerians from Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States fled to Cameroon. "Food and shelter for those in need have been provided by local communities. However, their food stocks are running low." Malnutrition was estimated at 25 percent, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing food, despite a "volatile" security situation near the Nigerian border. [9]

As of 11 November 2014, it was reported that "some 13,000 Nigerian refugees crossed from Adamawa state after insurgents attacked and captured the town of Mubi in late October. The refugees fled to the towns of Guider and Gashiga in the North region of Cameroon and to Bourha, Mogode and Boukoula in the Far North." However, the "vast majority" of these refugees returned to Nigeria, principally to the city of Yola. [10]

As of March,2017 the number of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon has grown to 85,000. [11]

Cameroonian Government forced return Nigerian Refugees

As of 21 March 2017 UNHCR reported the forceful return of Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon [11] .. In 2016, over 26,000 Nigerian refugees were forcefully returned by the Cameroonian government at different events. The action taking by the governments is in contrary to the obligations under international and regional refugee protection instruments [12]

Refugees from the Central African Republic

As of 2012, refugees from the CAR were already living in the cities of Yaounde and Douala. [13]

2014 Cameroon Emergency

In the first months of 2014, thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in the Central African Republic arrived in Cameroon. [14] A report summarizing the refugee crisis in Cameroon by the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa was published in March 2014 (in French). [15]

As of 6 June 2014, funding available for refugee assistance has been described as "meagre".

The UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR) says that only US$ 4.2 million of the $ 22.6 million it needs to assist those escaping violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been received, and just 12 percent of the $ 247 million requested by 15 aid groups to respond to the influx from CAR has been funded ...

"If we don't tackle this in a very urgent and coordinated way, I am afraid the crisis will be much bigger, especially when we all know that unfortunately the CAR crisis is not going to be fixed that soon," said Najat Rochdi, the UN resident coordinator for Cameroon. [16]

On June 4, 2014, AlertNet reported:

Almost 90,000 people have fled to neighbouring Cameroon since December [2013] and up to 2,000 a week, mostly women and children, are still crossing the border, the United Nations said.

"Women and children are arriving in Cameroon in a shocking state, after weeks, sometimes months, on the road, foraging for food," said Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP). [17]

As of 26 May 2014, UNHCR stated the number of new refugees was approximately 85,000, including 52,000 at borders.

On 1 July 2014, the World Food Programme announced that "a series of unexpected, temporary ration reductions has affected camps in several countries since early 2013 and into 2014", including Cameroon. [18]

An assessment released 4 July 2014 indicated that "in Cameroon, up to 1 out of 3 refugee children from Central African Republic suffer from malnutrition ... The risk of severe acute malnutrition, which can be deadly if left untreated, is particularly high. In the inpatient center of Batouri close to the border, the mortality rate in May exceeded 24 per cent." [19]

List of refugee centers

A unit has been opened for treating malnutrition at Batouri Hospital in Batouri. As of May 23, 2014, 100 refugee children were being treated for severe malnutrition in Batouri Hospital's nutrition centre. [20] The hospital also treats people arriving with machete wounds. [21]

By 2014, refugee centers had opened in more rural areas:

(as of 26 May 2014)

List of entry points

(as of 26 May 2014)

In April 2014, a spokesperson for UNHCR stated:

With the main entry points at Garoua Boulai and Kentzou no longer accessible due to anti-Balaka activities, people are using alternative routes. "This has caused the number of entry points into Cameroon to grow from 12 to 27 over last three weeks, making it more challenging for our colleagues to monitor the border." [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroon</span> Country in Central Africa

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Its nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batouri</span> Place in East, Cameroon

Batouri is a town and commune in the East Province of Cameroon. It is the second largest municipality in the province after the provincial capital Bertoua. It is located on the main road connecting Bertoua to the Central African Republic and to the Cameroonian town of Yokadouma. It had an estimated 33,500 inhabitants as of 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram</span> Nigerian jihadist terrorist organization

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is an Islamic terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, and northern Cameroon. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

Bama is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. It has its headquarters in the town of Bama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroon–Nigeria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between Cameroon and Nigeria were established in 1960, the same year that each country obtained its independence. Since then, their relationship has revolved in large part around their extensive shared border, as well as the legacy of colonial arrangements under which areas of Cameroon were administered as part of British Nigeria. The countries came close to war in the 1990s in the culmination of a long-running dispute over the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula. In the 21st century, however, a return to conviviality has been achieved, partly because the demarcation of their border has been formalised, and partly because the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad basin has necessitated increasingly close cooperation in regional security matters.

Fotokol is a town and commune in Logone-et-Chari Department, Far North Region, Cameroon. It is home to Fotokol High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garoua-Boulaï</span> Town in Cameroon

Garoua-Boulaï is a town and commune in Cameroon. The town is on the border with the Central African Republic. Across the border, the nearest CAR settlement accessible by road is Baboua.

Kentzou is a town and commune in Cameroon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram insurgency</span> Sunni Islamic terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing issues of religious violence between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities, and the insurgents' ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic state in the region.

Timeline of the Boko Haram insurgency is the chronology of the Boko Haram insurgency, an ongoing armed conflict between Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government. Boko Haram have carried out many attacks against the military, police and civilians since 2009, mostly in Nigeria. The low-intensity conflict is centred on Borno State. It peaked in the mid 2010s, when Boko Haram extended their insurgency into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Lolo is a village in Kadey Department, East Region, Cameroon, which had a population of about 2,000 in 2013.

Nigerian refugees are persons originating from the country of Nigeria, but seeking refuge outside the borders of their native country. Nigeria has a refugee crisis which has extended for almost a decade, mainly due to the insurgency in Northern Nigeria by the Boko Haram.

Gbiti is a border town in the East Province in Cameroon.

Amchide is a town in Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria. It abuts the Nigerian town of Banki, with streets and even houses straddling the border.

The December 2014 Cameroon clashes were a number of incidents that occurred between 28–29 December 2014 in variety of locations in Cameroon's Far North Region. The event included attacks on civilians and military positions carried out by Nigeria-based Boko Haram; the attacks were followed by a successful Cameroonian military counter offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 West African offensive</span> Coalition offensive against Boko Haram

Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

The 2015 Chad suicide bombings were a suicide attack which occurred the afternoon of Saturday 10, October 2015 in the town of Baga Sola, Chad, a small fishing community on Lake Chad. The attack was allegedly perpetrated by the Nigeria-based Islamic extremist group Boko Haram and resulted in the deaths of around 36 individuals, and wounded upwards of 50 more. The attacks were reportedly carried out by two women, two children, and a man with the intended targets being a busy marketplace, and a nearby refugee camp hosting tens of thousands of Nigerians. It was the deadliest attack to take place in the Lake Chad region.

Rann is a town in Borno State, Nigeria, adjacent to the border with Cameroon. It was home to a camp for internally displaced people.

Bodo is a village in the Far North Region of Cameroon, adjacent to the border with Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Basin campaign (2018–2020)</span> Series of battles and offensives in the Chad Basin

The Chad Basin campaign of 2018–2020 was a series of battles and offensives in the southern Chad Basin, particularly northeastern Nigeria, which took place amid the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency. The Chad Basin witnessed an upsurge of insurgent activity from early November 2018, as rebels belonging to the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram launched offensives and several raids to regain military strength and seize territory in a renewed attempt to establish an Islamic state in the region. These attacks, especially those by ISWAP, met with considerable success and resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The member states of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF), namely Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon responded to the increased insurgent activity with counter-offensives. These operations repulsed the rebels in many areas, but failed to fully contain the insurgency.

References

  1. ↑ "UNHCR Cameroon - Statistics - August 2020".
  2. ↑ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (28 May 2007). "Cameroon: Population Movement; DREF Bulletin no. MDRCM004". ReliefWeb. Accessed 18 June 2007.
  3. ↑ "World Refugee Survey 2008". U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008.
  4. ↑ Musa, Tansa (27 June 2007). "Gunmen kill one, kidnap 22 in Cameroon near CAR". Reuters. Accessed 27 June 2007.
  5. ↑ "CAR refugees attacked as they flee to Cameroon". USA for UNHCR. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  6. ↑ Abdullahi Umar (2015-01-06). "Nigeria: Boko Haram - Cameroon Military Vows to Protect Border Schools". Leadership (Abuja) - allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  7. ↑ Kaze, Reinnier (2014-06-04). "Bullets in the classroom: Cameroon students caught in Boko Haram crossfire - Cameroon". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  8. ↑ "Refugee influx causes unease in Cameroon". IRIN Africa. 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  9. ↑ "Cameroon: Despite Insecurity, UN Agency Scales Up Assistance for Thousands Fleeing Northern Nigeria". UN News Service - allAfrica.com. 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  10. ↑ "Nigeria: Boko Haram Attacks in Nigeria Force 13,000 to Flee to Cameroon". allAfrica.com - UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  11. 1 2 Babar, Baloch. "UNHCR concerned about return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon". UNHCR. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Erika, Feller. "International refugee protection 50 years on: The protection challenges of the past, present and future" (PDF). International Committee of the Red Cross: 582–583. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Mattheisen, Emily; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "'Because I am a stranger' : Urban refugees in Yaoundé, Cameroon". New Issues in Refugee Research (Research Paper No. 244). ISSN   1020-7473 . Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  14. ↑ "Cameroon: Location of Refugees and Main Entry Points (as of 02 May 2014) - Cameroon". ReliefWeb . Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  15. ↑ Dossier special: L'impact de la crise centrafricaine sur le Cameroun (French)
  16. ↑ "Meagre funding for Central African Republic refugee influx". IRIN Africa. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  17. ↑ Nguyen, Katie (2014-06-04). "Cameroon: Starving, Exhausted CAR Refugees Stream Into Cameroon - UN". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  18. ↑ "Heads Of WFP & UNHCR Issue Urgent Appeal As Food Shortages Hit Nearly 800,000 Refugees In Africa". United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide. 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  19. ↑ "Cameroon: Alarming levels of malnutrition among refugee children and women from C.A.R." United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide. 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  20. ↑ Schmitt, Celine (2014-05-23). "Growing numbers of young CAR refugees arrive in Cameroon with malnutrition". The Cameroon Daily Journal. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  21. ↑ Schmitt, Celine (2014-06-06). "Central African Republic: Rapid Treatment Saves Seven-Year-Old CAR Refugee Chopped and Left for Dead (Page 1 of 2)". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  22. ↑ "New mother and baby battle for survival in Cameroon refugee camp". Plan International. 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  23. 1 2 "Cameroon Emergency: Sites Activities - Who does What Where" (PDF). UNHCR. 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  24. ↑ UN News Service (2014-04-12). "Central African Republic refugees attacked as they flee to Cameroon". Africa - News and Analysis. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
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