Cameroon: Humanitarian Dashboard (January to December 2023)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

In 2023, nine out of ten regions of Cameroon continued to face, to various extents, humanitarian needs due to impact of three complex and current crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict in the Far North region, the sociopolitical crisis in the North-West (NW) and South-West (SW) regions, and the influx of Central African Republic (CAR) refugees in the eastern regions (Adamawa, North, East).

An estimated 4.7 million people across the country needed humanitarian assistance and protection. The humanitarian assistance and protection services targeted 2.7 million of the most vulnerable people in 2023 and required US$407.3million. The HRP 2023 was funded at 32 per cent, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without lifesaving assistance and protection services.

As of 31 December 2023, there are 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 486,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country.

Far North

During the fourth quarter of the year, the security situation in the Far North region continued to be characterised by persistent activities of non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and military operations in the Mayo-Sava, MayoTsanaga and Logone et Chari divisions. Civilians continued to be killed, physically assaulted, abducted, as well as victims of theft and looting. In the Logone et Chari division, cases of illegal taxation imposed by NSAGs on the local population, particularly fishermen, continued to be reported.

The volatile security situation and increased risks in some areas led several humanitarian partners to review their intervention modalities in the areas bordering Nigeria. As a precautionary measure, some health facilities, especially in Mayo-Sava and Mayo-Tsanaga divisions, also had to review their working hours, with consequences on the availability and quality of services provided to the local population.

Insecurity also continued to cause population displacement in the MayoSava, Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone et Chari divisions. The Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) reported more than 46,000 people displaced people between January and December 2023 as a result of insecurity, mainly due to NSAGs activities. About 5,000 people fleeing flooding in Chad arrived in Mourla, Mayo-Danay division, where they received multisectoral assistance from humanitarian actors, in coordination with local authorities.

The influx of Nigerian refugees into the Gourenguel transit centre (TC) continued. More than 700 Nigerians seeking protection have been reported during the last quarter of the year. The continued pressure of new arrivals on the Gourenguel TC and the already overcrowded Minawao camp has become a major concern for UNHCR and local authorities, at a time when humanitarian funding is decreasing. The need to explore new and more durable solutions to address protracted displacement has been identified as a key collective priority for 2024.

Regarding natural hazards, while the general trend was of river levels continuing to fall, some new floods were recorded in December in the Logone et Chari division. In Makary district, the rising waters of the Lake Maga, Mayo-Danay division, were observed in Bodo locality, flooding fields and damaging roads. In the neighbouring localities of Blangoua, the overflowing waters of the Chari River forced some 240 households to leave their villages, most of them as a precautionary measure. Preliminary assessments by humanitarian partners and local authorities identified most immediate needs for shelter, water, sanitation, and food security.

North-West (NW) and South-West (SW)

During the last quarter of the year, populations in areas of the North-West and South-West regions (NWSW) continued to be affected by violence.

Civilians were directly targeted, others were killed/injured by improvised explosive devices (IED) or caught in crossfire. Fighting continued in several areas between State Security Forces (SSF) and non-State armed groups (NSAGs), and among NSAG factions. The population continued to suffer from fundamental rights abuses, including killings, kidnappings for ransom, arbitrary arrests, destruction of property, and extortion.

In November, in Egbekaw, one of the villages surrounding Mamfe town in Manyu division, NSAGs reportedly shot randomly and set several houses ablaze, resulting in casualties and injuries. National authorities reported 25 people killed, including a child, and at least nine others injured. Some families sought refuge in churches, and in overcrowded houses with relatives and friends. More than 400 people displaced. Through a rapid needs assessment, coordinated by OCHA with partners in the aftermath of the event, the most critical needs reported were protection services, shelter, non-food items and food assistance. Humanitarian actors provided emergency response to affected communities in support of local authorities’ efforts. Local partners on the ground played a key critical role in the assessment and response phasis, by facilitating affected population access to the assistance.

More than 96,815 displacements due to violence were reported in the NWSW in 2023. Many of these were episodic, with people returning to their place of origin when the situation calmed down, and some took place on multiple occasions, with people forced to move again when violence occurred. Humanitarian actors continued to operate under numerous constraints, including humanitarian access challenges and underfunding.