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UNHCR Cameroon Factsheet - January 2020

Pays
Cameroun
+ 2
Sources
UNHCR
Date de publication
Origine
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Cameroon currently has 1,749,080 people of concern, including 292,787 Central African, 110,627 Nigerian refugees, 976,773 IDPs (297,380 in the Far North and 679,393 in the North West and South West regions) and 354,328 returnees in the Far North region.
From 23 to 31January 2020, a high level delegation from BPRM, OFDA and Food for Peace visited Central African and Nigerian refugees hosted in the Eastern part of Cameroon and Far North respectively. The objective of the visit was to touch-base with the realities of refugees on the ground.
The displacement trend in the North West and South West has been on the rise, with thousands displaced ahead of the 09 February legislative and municipal elections. From assessments conducted so far, major needs identified by UNHCR and its partners are protection, SGBV, shelter/NFIs, health and WASH.

Main highlights

  • There has been an upsurge in violence in the NorthWest and South-West regions with a series of incidents including clashes between government forces and non-state armed groups resulting in deaths, kidnappings for ransom, arbitrary arrests, harassment of unarmed civilians and the burning of houses, and villages. Clashes between the military and NSAGs especially in the run-up to the parliamentary and municipal elections forced hundreds of civilians to flee for safety into nearby bushes, villages and other towns while 8,000 others crossed the border into Nigeria. This precarious security situation has left the local population in desperate need of assistance in terms of protection, health, including mental health, shelter and food.

  • The security situation in the Far North remains precarious with spontaneous attacks by Boko Haram Group. The local populations live in constant psychosis as they continue to be exposed to acts of kidnappings, killings, burning of villages and pillaging. On 10 January, an incursion by the group at 03 km from Zigague (Waza) took away 1,000 heads of oxen. On 15 January, a group of women was kidnapped while fetching firewood behind Waza mountains and were later released. On the night of 14 January, the health centre in Sékoulé (12km from Mora) was also attacked. All the medical equipment and medicines at the centre were taken away. The trend of protection incidents shows that the most affected victims are residents (46%), followed by IDPs (35%), returnees (13%) refugees (6%).

  • From 23 to 31January 2020, a high level US delegation composed of Officials from the Bureau of Population,
    Refugee and Migration – US Department of State, BPRM, U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance ,OFDA and Food for Peace visited Central African refugees in the East from 23 to 24 January and Nigerian refugees in the Far North from 27 to 31 January. In both regions, the delegation paid courtesy visits to autorities to appreciate the hospitality of the Cameroonian people and protection provided to refugees. They also met with the internally displaced persons in Zamai in the Far North, as well as with representatives of host communities with whom they discussed provision of assistance. The delegation visited social structures as well, and commended partners on their work. Unmet needs and gaps to be covered were highlighted such as guaranteeing self-reliance for the vulnerable and providing assistance to persons with specific needs.