Refugees in Cameroon
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As of 31 August 2020,
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 ...
hosted a total
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
population of approximately 421,700. Of these, 280,500 were 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 ...
, 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. In comparison, in 2017,
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 ...
hosted a total population of
refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
and asylum seekers of approximately 97,400. Of these, 49,300 were 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 ...
,International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (28 May 2007).
Cameroon: Population Movement; DREF Bulletin no. MDRCM004
. ReliefWeb. Accessed 18 June 2007.
41,600 from
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, and 2,900 from
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Kidnappings of Cameroonian citizens by Central African bandits have increased since 2005.Musa, Tansa (27 June 2007).
Gunmen kill one, kidnap 22 in Cameroon near CAR
. Reuters. Accessed 27 June 2007.
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." In 2014, Cameroon had an estimated 44,000 refugees from
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Internal Cameroonian refugees also began to leave areas bordering Nigeria to escape
Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
violence, especially following the
December 2014 Cameroon clashes 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 (Cameroon), Far North Region. The event included attacks on civilians and military po ...
.


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 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 (Cameroon), Far North Region. The event included attacks on civilians and military po ...
, 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 Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
militants." The Cameroonian military has deployed forces to ensure safety for students attending schools.


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 The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
... 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 Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
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
oko Haram OKO ( rus, ОКО, r=, literally means eye, also an abbreviation for Ob'yedinonnyye Kristallom Osnovaniya ( rus, Oбъединённые Кристаллом Oснования, r=, literally means Foundations Bound by a Crystal)) is a complex of ...
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.
Between May and July 2014, over 8,000 Nigerians from Adamawa,
Yobe Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu; and it's largest and most populated city is Potisku ...
and
Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border ...
s 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 The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
(WFP) has begun distributing food, despite a "volatile" security situation near the Nigerian border. 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 Guider (sometimes spelled Guidder) is a city situated 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 bor ...
and Gashiga in the North region of Cameroon and to Bourha,
Mogode Mogode is a town and commune in North Cameroon, adjacent to the border with Nigeria. The women during the year festival in Mogode. Kapsiki.jpg, The women during the year festival in Mogode Vandu Zraté, a respected village elder of Mogode. Kapsik ...
and Boukoula in the Far North." However, the "vast majority" of these refugees returned to Nigeria, principally to the city of Yola. As of March,2017 the number of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon has grown to 85,000.


Cameroonian Government forced return Nigerian Refugees

As of 21 March 2017
UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
reported the forceful return of Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon .. 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


Refugees from the Central African Republic

As of 2012, refugees from the CAR were already living in the cities of Yaounde and
Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Ai ...
.


2014 Cameroon Emergency

In the first months of 2014, thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in the Central African Republic arrived in Cameroon. A report summarizing the refugee crisis in Cameroon by the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa was published in March 2014 (in French). 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.
On June 4, 2014,
AlertNet Thomson Reuters Foundation News, formerly Alertnet, is a global news service, available free to smaller media outlets and non-government organisations around the world. It is run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation Thomson Reuters Foundation is ...
reported:
Almost 90,000 people have fled to neighbouring Cameroon since December 013and 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 Ertharin Cousin (born 1957) is an American lawyer who served as the twelfth executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme from 2012 to 2017. Following the completion of her term, Cousin became Payne Distinguished Professor at S ...
, executive director of the
World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
(WFP).
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. 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 Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
... 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."


List of refugee centers

A unit has been opened for treating malnutrition at Batouri Hospital in
Batouri 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 (though unpaved) road connecting Bertoua to the Central Africa ...
. As of May 23, 2014, 100 refugee children were being treated for severe malnutrition in Batouri Hospital's nutrition centre. The hospital also treats people arriving with machete wounds. By 2014, refugee centers had opened in more rural areas: ;(as of 26 May 2014) *Borgop – 7,500 people, capacity of 10,000 *Gado Badzere – 9,103 people, capacity of 10,000 * Lolo – 10,040 people, capacity of 10,000 *
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 ...
– 4,150 people, capacity of 10,000 *Timangolo – 0 people, capacity of 5,000 *Yokadouma – 227 people, capacity of 2,000


List of entry points

;(as of 26 May 2014) * Adamoua Region (12 entry points) – 8,960 people *
Garoua-Boulaï Garoua-Boulaï (or Garoua-Boulay) 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. Refugees In 2014, the town was severel ...
– 4,390 people *
Gbiti Gbiti is a border town in the East Province in Cameroon. Border post On 16 November 2013, "unidentified gunmen from the Central African Republic (CAR)" attacked the Cameroonian border post at Gbiti. "Seven people died in the attack." In 2013, ...
– 21,451 people *
Kentzou Kentzou is a town and commune in Cameroon. Refugees In the first months of 2014, the town became a destination for refugees fleeing violence in the Central African Republic. The border town of Kentzou was amongst the areas most heavily affected a ...
– 11,971 people * East Region (10 other entry points) – 8,759 people In April 2014, a spokesperson for UNHCR stated:
With the main entry points at Garoua Boulai and
Kentzou Kentzou is a town and commune in Cameroon. Refugees In the first months of 2014, the town became a destination for refugees fleeing violence in the Central African Republic. The border town of Kentzou was amongst the areas most heavily affected a ...
no longer accessible due to
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 ...
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."


References


External links

*
Cameroon: Refugee sites and entry points for new refugees from the Central African Republic, May 28, 2014
* {{Africa topic, Refugees in Social history of Cameroon Cameroon–Central African Republic border Cameroon–Central African Republic relations Cameroon–Nigeria border Cameroon–Nigeria relations Forced migration
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 ...