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Cameroon + 2 more

UNHCR Cameroon Factsheet - March 2018

Attachments

Cameroon currently has 659,807 people of concern, including 249,053 Central African refugees and 89,543 Nigerian refugees registered by UNHCR.

Rapid Interagency Assessment mission carried out to the NorthWest and South-West regions of Cameroon.

Significant increase of new refugee arrivals at the Gourounguel transit center in the Far North region.

WORKING WITH PARTNERS

UNHCR coordinates protection and assistance for refugees in collaboration with:

  • Government Partners: Ministries of External Relations, Territorial Administration, Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Public Health, Women Empowerment and Family, Social Affairs, Justice, Basic Education, Water and Energy, Youth and Civic Education, the National Employment Fund and others, Secrétariat Technique des Organes de Gestion du Statut des réfugiés.

  • Implementing Partners:, Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA), African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD), Agence pour le Développment Economique et Social (ADES), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), FAIRMED, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), InterSos, International Medical Corps (IMC), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Plan International, Première Urgence - Internationale (PUI) and Public Concern.

  • Operational Partners: ICRC, Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA), ASOL, Red Deporte, IEDA Relief, Action Contre la Faim (ACF), Solidarités International and CARE International.

  • UN Agencies: WFP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, UN Women, FAO, UNESCO, IOM, UNDP and UNOCHA.

  • Operational coordination: In accordance with the “Joint OCHA-UNHCR Note on Mixed Situations – Coordination in Practice” the responsibility to coordinate the overall humanitarian response in the Far North has been delegated to UNHCR. UNHCR sectors are utilized to deliver assistance to IDPs and other affected groups. All sectors are operational holding regular meetings. Each sector is led by a Government entity and co-led by UN agencies. There is also a bi-monthly UNHCR-chaired Multi-Sector Operations Team meeting in Maroua, bringing together more than 40 humanitarian partners intervening in the region. The response for Central African refugees is managed in line with the Refugee Coordination Model. Sectorial groups have been established by UNHCR, covering the whole operational area. Local authorities have been very engaged in the management of the refugee operation. At the capital-level, UNHCR leads the Multi-Sector Operations Team for the Refugee Response and the national Protection Working Group, and actively participates in other relevant humanitarian coordination mechanisms and the Humanitarian Country Team.

MAIN DEVELOPMENTS

  • The security situation in the Far North region worsened during the month of March; with all three departments of Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone et Chari concerned, however, with military bases in the Logone et Chari especially targeted by non-state armed groups. Military personnel were ambushed and attacked resulting in several casualties. In addition, elements of non-state armed groups continued to carry out kidnappings of children, stealing cattle, pillaging of homes and shops and setting fire to properties. This situation continues to affect our protection and assistance responses as staff movement has been restricted in certain areas.

  • On 2 March, the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM) undertook a mission to Minawao refugee camp with the aim to familiarize itself with the activities implemented for refugees through their funding. The visit included a stop at the biometric registration centre, followed by various health facilities run by International Medical Corps., school infrastructure, energy facilities, reforestation programmes and WASH activities.

  • The French Development Agency (AFD) visited Mbile refugee site on 2 March to enquire about the integration of Central African refugees and their perspectives on returning to the Central African Republic. The mission met with refugees in focus groups and expressed their interest to finance government institutions and NGOs to support the development of host areas through self-reliance projects for refugees and host communities for the improvement of refugee integration. AFD also expressed interest in assisting their villages of origin hoping that these development efforts could contribute to peace and stability and perhaps much later to the return of refugees. The mission also visited the village of Ourou Say and Gbiti in Kette district to meet local populations that would also benefit from selfreliance projects.

  • On 7 March 2018, a mission of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) visited Minawao camp to carry out a monitoring/evaluation of the level of implementation of the activities it finances such as protection activities in the transit center, the biometric verification exercise as well as WASH activities and infrastructure. The mission also met with the central refugee committee to hear upon their needs and recommendations to improve conditions in the camp.