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Cameroon: Humanitarian Dashboard (January to June 2022)

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Cameroon
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OCHA
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SITUATION OVERVIEW

Cameroon continues to be impacted by three complex humanitarian crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict, the North-West and South-West crisis, and the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee crisis.

In 2022, 3.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Violence related to the presence of and fight against armed groups, intercommunity conflicts, natural disasters, and epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbate the vulnerability and affect the resilience and the recovery capacity of people living in Cameroon. Out of the 3.9 million people in need of assistance, 2.6 million people are targeted by the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and US$ 376 million are required to provide live-saving assistance and protection, as well as support livelihood and resilience building.

As of 30 June 2022, almost 2 million people were displaced within Cameroon, either as internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees or returnees. The country counts almost 1 million internally displaced people and about 519,000 returnees, mainly in the North-West, South-West and Far North regions. Also, Cameroon is hosting almost 475,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including about 347,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and over 134,000 from Nigeria.

While the main reason for the displacement of over 550,000 people in the Far North since 2014 remains the conflict between State Security Forces (SSF) and non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and NSAG attacks, 66 per cent of new displacements recorded between January and February 2022 relate to the inter-communal conflict that broke out in Logone Birni in December 2021. As of 31 May, out of the 70,000 people who were displaced due to this conflict, over 12,600 returned to their villages of origin, including around 3,800 who returned from Chad. The humanitarian response continues in all localities of displacement and return, but remains insufficient, in particular due to limited resources.

In the North-West and South-West, almost all 366,000 IDPs were displaced due to the violence. The multi-sectoral needs assessment carried out in February and March 2022 in the two regions found that access to drinking water, food, health and education were the priority needs of IDPs and returnees.

Meanwhile, protection and/or security issues were highlighted in all the assessed locations. Lack of civil documentation was reported as one of the top three protection issues in 41 per cent of the locations assessed, followed by arbitrary detention or arrest (39 per cent), early pregnancy (32 per cent), and kidnapping (29 per cent).

The number of Central African refugees located in the eastern regions of Cameroon, has increased from 325,000 in December 2021 to almost 329,000 in June 2021. Meanwhile, as of 15 June, the voluntary return of 600 CAR refugees was facilitated. In the Far North, the number of Nigerian refugees increased from 116,500 in December 2021 to 130,000 in June 2021, mostly because of a verification exercise. Many of these Nigerian refugees were living in the region for years but had never been registered.

According to the Cadre Harmonisé analysis, 2.9 million people, representing 11 per cent of the population of Cameroon, faced acute food insecurity from March to May 2022. This is the highest figure since Cadre Harmonisé has started analyzing the food insecurity in Cameroon and acute food insecurity has tripled since 2019. 48 per cent of Cameroonians and up to 70 per cent in areas affected by humanitarian crises cannot afford a diet that meets their nutritional needs. Throughout the country, the 2022 farming season continues to be disrupted by multifaceted conflicts, climate hazards, crop pests, and more so by the rising prices of staple foods and agricultural inputs.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.