Gbiti is a border town in the
East Province in
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 ...
.
Border post
On 16 November 2013, "unidentified gunmen from the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
(CAR)" attacked the Cameroonian border post at Gbiti. "Seven people died in the attack."
In 2013, the
Kimberly Process’ Permanent Secretariat conducted an awareness campaign in the town about the importance of stopping the trade in
blood diamonds
''Blood Diamond'' is a 2006 American political war action thriller film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mine ...
, which could be used to finance Cameroonian gangs or political violence in the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
.
Refugee transit center
The town has been impacted by the refugees escaping the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
.
As of May 26, 2014, 21,451 refugees from have crossed into Cameroon, and been received at the Gbiti transit center.
Refugees assemble at the Gbiti transit center, and are transported to other locations, such as the refugee camp at
Mbilé Mbilé, or Mbilé Refugee Camp, is located near the village of Lolo, Cameroon, Lolo in Kadey, Kadey Department, East Region (Cameroon), East Region, Cameroon.
It is located four hours by bus from the refugee transit center at the border town of Gbi ...
, located "four hours away by bus."
A YouTube video shot on a mobile phone by a relief worker in April 2014 documents a group of exhausted, malnourished people slowly crossing the river to enter Gbiti. Many refugees have suffered severe injuries in attacks by CAR
Anti-balaka
The Anti-balaka is an alliance of militia groups based in the Central African Republic in the early 21st century said to be composed primarily of Christians. However, some church leaders have contested the claimed exclusively Christian character ...
rebels. One seven-year-old boy arriving with severe machete injuries was saved by treatment at the nearest hospital, located in
Bertoua
Bertoua is the capital of the Eastern Region of Cameroon and of the Lom-et-Djerem Department. It has a population of 88,462 (at the 2005 Census), and is the traditional home of the Gbaya people. It is home to an airport and Mission Cameroon (in ...
, three hours' drive away.
Town life
Fuller video coverage of town life is available in a 33-minute French language video by Alexandre Vigot.
See also
*
Communes of Cameroon
The Arrondissements of Cameroon are the third-level units of administration in Cameroon. The arrondissements are organised by divisions and sub divisions of each province (now Regions).
As of 2005 (and since 1996) there are 2 urban commu ...
References
External links
*
* 33 minute video of life in Gbiti.
* Map of border towns, refugee centers, with numbers of people
Cameroon: Refugee sites and entry points for new refugees from the Central African Republic, May 28, 2014
Populated places in East Region (Cameroon)
Cameroon–Central African Republic border crossings
{{Cameroon-geo-stub