Cameroon is a French and English-speaking country in central Africa with a population of more than 27 million.
A country of great natural beauty, it is nicknamed “Africa in Miniature” because of its geographical variety, which ranges from desert plains in the north to tropical rainforests in the south.
It is nicknamed “Africa in Miniature” because of its geographical variety
Cameroon is also a country of great cultural richness, and is internationally known for its talented musicians such as Richard Bona and Manu Dibango, and sports stars such as Francis Ngannou and Samuel Eto’o.
Less well-known is the fact that Cameroon is bearing the brunt of three separate humanitarian crises that have unfolded over the last decade.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Cameroon is currently responding to these three complex and long-term crises in the Far North, East, Northwest and Southwest regions of the country.
Here are five things you should know about these crises
1. Rampant insecurity in the Far North region
An ongoing crisis in the Lake Chad Basin is affecting Cameroon’s Far North region.
The havoc wreaked by the conflict between non-state armed groups and security forces in the north of Nigeria has spilled over into neighbouring countries. Incursions, cross-border raids, and attacks in Niger, Chad and Cameroon have been frequent.
Since 2014, a total of 454,000 Cameroonians have been displaced by violence in the Far North region, as of March 2024. As the country struggles to deal with an unprecedented number of displaced citizens, it is simultaneously hosting over 121,000 Nigerian refugees who have fled to Cameroon because of the same conflict.
In addition, clashes between communities over dwindling water resources drove at least 100,000 people from their homes in 2021 – and the true number may be much higher.
2. Violence and lack of food in the Northwest and Southwest
Meanwhile, a brutal conflict is unfolding in a different part of the country.
In late 2016, instability in the Northwest and Southwest regions gave way to violence. This led to the formation of several new armed groups and fuelled existing separatist sentiment. Armed groups enforced school boycotts, and the subsequent violent confrontations have forced more than half a million people to flee their homes.
The high levels of insecurity are putting communities at risk by straining their already limited ability to secure food and water. Livelihoods are suffering as access to land and farming becomes more restricted.
3. Refugees in the East region lack ID papers
Cameroon is also gripped by a third humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in its neighbour to the east – the Central African Republic (CAR).
Political and sectarian violence exploded in CAR in 2013. By 2014, many Central Africans had fled their homes and sought safety in other parts of their country. But others decided that they would only be safe if they fled across the border. As a result, as of February 2024, there are some 354,725 Central African refugees living in Cameroon.
Refugees are facing various challenges, the biggest being lack of civil documentation.
Some 190,000 school-aged children lacked birth certificates in the East region in 2023
Having been in Cameroon for ten years, many refugees have given birth to children who have no identity papers, either from their homeland CAR or from Cameroon. Some parents are unaware of the procedures for applying for a birth certificate, while others are unaware of the importance until it’s too late.
As a result, some 190,000 school-aged children lacked birth certificates in the East region in 2023 – meaning they were unable to access basic healthcare or take their final exam at the end of primary school.
4. Education is still at risk
Education in Cameroon remains a sector in crisis, as schools continue to be under attack in many parts of the country. Thousands of schools are closed across the country, and over 1.4 million children are crammed into poorly maintained and overcrowded classrooms.
Insecurity and violent attacks have resulted in massive population movements, with over 900,000 people being displaced in the country in 2023.
As people seek refuge in urban centres which they deem safer, the constant arrival of school-aged children is putting a severe strain on education infrastructure. At times, 200 children are being placed in a single classroom when government regulations only allow a maximum of 60 students to every teacher.
5. Cameroon is a neglected crisis
Cameroon has featured in NRC’s ranking of the world’s ten most neglected crises for six consecutive years.
Some 4.7 million people required aid in 2023 while funds remain limited. Only 33 per cent of the humanitarian funding needed was covered by international donors, the lowest rate since 2016. This left hundreds of thousands of people without vital support and protection services.
The three crises engulfing Cameroon remain off the world’s radar, and the situation threatens to stagnate.
Rising levels of need coupled with a lethargic response from the international community mean that another challenging year awaits Cameroon in 2024.
How NRC is helping
NRC is responding to each of the three crises in different ways.
In the Far North: we are building and renovating classrooms so that displaced children and children in host communities can access education. We also enable access to clean water and sanitation facilities. We provide information, counselling and legal assistance to affected populations, assisting them with ID papers and land and property disputes.
In the Northwest and Southwest: we are providing displaced communities with urgent assistance, including household items and shelter kits for families that have fled with no belongings. We also help people to meet their food needs through cash support for small-scale market gardening and livestock rearing, vocational training, and support for small-scale income-generating activities.
In the East: we focus on providing information, counselling and legal assistance to affected communities. This takes the form of civil documentation, land access, and conflict resolution for refugees from CAR in both Cameroon and CAR itself. We also implement cross-border projects to ensure CAR refugees can access basic services if they return home.
Credit: Source link