Cameroon: North-West and South-West - Situation Report No. 59 (November 2023)

This report is produced by OCHA Cameroon in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 1 to 30 November 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Armed attack on the village of Egbekaw led to the displacement of 465 people and at least 25 deaths.

• A nurse working for a local NGO killed by a stray bullet in Kumbo.

• About 38.5 per cent of schools are not operational in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions.

• More than 140 cholera cases and eight deaths reported in Buea, Tiko and Tombel health districts since July 2023.

• More than 230 children identified with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 91 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

• The underfunding of humanitarian aid continues to deprive hundreds of thousands of people in the NWSW of humanitarian assistance.

SITUATION OVERVIEW / HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

During the month of November, armed confrontations between State security forces (SSFs) and non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and infighting among different NSAGs continued to affect the population in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions and to impact humanitarian access. On 6 November, the armed attack on Egbekaw village, in Manyu division, led to fatal casualties among the population. At least 25 people were reported killed according to Government sources, and several houses have been burned down. The attack led to the displacement of 465 people, mainly children and women. On 25 November, at Mile 3 Nkwen, in Mezam division, armed actors attacked a crowd of young people gathered to celebrate the presence of an international actor from an African country, killing at least five people. On 11 November, a female nurse working for a local NGO, was killed by a stray bullet on her way home, in Kumbo, Bui division.

In such a volatile context, access to services, including quality healthcare, remains challenging and expose the population to several health risks. In the SW, the cholera epidemic continued to affect populations with Buea, Tiko and Tombel health districts reporting 142 cholera cases and eight deaths with a case fatality rate of 5.8 per cent, since July 2023. Humanitarian partners continue to support the regional delegation of public health to respond to the outbreak. Direct and indirect attacks on healthcare workers continued to be reported. On 27 November, NSAGs allegedly abducted a medical doctor from his private residence in Konye, Meme division, in the SW.

Education continues to be targeted in the NWSW with teachers and children killed, kidnapped, or threatened. On 22 November, NSAG members allegedly executed a teacher they had abducted on 19 November in Nkar, Bui division. On 23 November, NSAGs allegedly abducted a private school head teacher from the school campus in Konye, Meme division. The incident caused panic among parents, who promptly withdrew their children from the school as a precautionary measure. In the NWSW, 38.5 per cent of schools are not operational due to violence and the NSAG’s ban on Government schools. Moreover, Government officials banned community schools, which were an alternative way of continuing children's education in some communities. OCHA and humanitarian partners continue to advocate for a safe environment for education in both regions.