Global Needs Assessment

Since 2005, Cameroon has been experiencing a silent refugee influx along its remote eastern border with the Central African Republic - a country wracked by generalised insecurity, banditry and recurrent armed conflict. The number of refugees arriving increased considerably in 2006 and 2007. Most are Mbororo cattle herders fleeing "coupeurs de route" (bandits) and rebels who have attacked their settlements, stolen their cattle and kidnapped women and children for huge ransoms. Many have experienced and witnessed multiple traumatic events, lost family members, lost their cattle and traditional way of life. Their stories are harrowing.

Spread out in more than 60 settlements over a 30,000 sq km wide area in East and Adamaoua provinces, some 60,000 CAR refugees are living in tough conditions. Acute child malnutrition and child mortality rates are high. Access to primary health care and education is very limited.

Country Operations Profile

Working environment

The context

With most of its neighbours having experienced armed conflicts or socio-political turmoil in recent years, Cameroon has received large numbers of displaced people. Today it hosts close to 90,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. Of these, more than 14,600 live in urban areas, while some 60,000 others from the Central African Republic (CAR) are settled in villages in East or Adamaoua provinces. After rebel attacks in February 2008 on the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, 14,350 Chadians sought refuge among communities in northern Cameroon. Some 5000 of these Chadians live in Langui camp.

For many years Cameroon was considered a safe haven in the region. But in 2007 the country experienced a significant degree of social unrest, and security deteriorated in several towns. Despite efforts to bolster the economy, growth declined from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 2.7 per cent in 2007.

The needs

UNHCR assessments have identified major gaps in nutrition, water and sanitation, health, education, community services and protection in all refugee sites in Cameroon. The assessments, in which refugees and UNHCR's partners participated, found the acute malnutrition rate among children below five years of age had reached 17.2 per cent, while 68 per cent of households experienced food insecurity. Furthermore, almost half the refugees had no access to safe drinking water.

The Government of Cameroon has requested that refugees from Chad be relocated to a camp in Poli. This site is in need of facilities such as water points and sanitary stations.

UNHCR's programme for refugees living in urban areas needs to consolidate improvements in refugee status determination (RSD), health care and education.

Main objectives

• Improve the national protection framework by advocating for the establishment of a national eligibility committee and building the capacity of national authorities to address refugee-related issues.

• Provide identification documents to all people of concern.

• Ensure access to primary health care for both urban and rural refugees.

• Support income-generating activities by providing micro-credits and implement rapid-impact projects to aid self-reliance.

• Facilitate access to education for all refugee children of primary school age and 150 refugee children at secondary or university level.

• Provide access to water and sanitation.

• Fulfil the basic food needs of refugees in collaboration with WFP and UNICEF.

Key targets

Central African refugees in East and Adamaoua provinces

• All refugees receive non-food items, including hygiene kits for women, and at least 20 litres of drinking water per person per day.

• Some 90 per cent of refugees receive monthly food rations.

• All refugees, including people living with HIV and AIDS, have access to health care.

• Mortality rates stand at less than one for every 10,000 births and the global malnutrition rate falls below five per cent.

• At least 60 per cent of school-aged children are enrolled in school.

• 60 per cent of refugees engage in agricultural activities.

• All refugees are registered and newborns are given birth certificates.

Chadian refugees in northern Cameroon

• All refugees receive monthly food rations and non-food items, including hygiene kits for women.

• All refugees have access to medical care and receive at least 20 litres of drinking water per person per day.

• Some 30 per cent of refugees participate in community-based activities.

• All school-aged children are enrolled in school.

• All refugees are registered and newborns are given birth certificates.

Urban refugees

• All refugees have access to medical care, and people living with HIV and AIDS are assisted.

• All survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive medical, psychological and legal assistance.

• All women receive sanitary kits every month.

• Some 100 micro-projects are approved and 80 of these projects are allocated to women. The reimbursement rate of the loan is at least 50 per cent.

• RSD processing time is reduced to three months.

• Some 400 refugees with specific needs are resettled.

• At least 80 per cent of school-aged children are enrolled in primary schools.

Strategy and activities

Comprehensive needs assessments have allowed UNHCR to design plans to provide adequate assistance to both rural and urban refugees and asylum-seekers.

UNHCR will promote the registration of CAR refugees and the delivery of identification cards to them. Community groups will be made more aware of sexual and gender-based violence and the need for children to be enrolled in school. UNHCR will ensure that all refugees receive enough food and non-food items and will monitor their distribution and use. The Office will strengthen collaboration with UN agencies and other partners, and reinforce the operational capacity of implementing partners.

The Office estimates that up to 5,000 refugees from Chad will have to be relocated from the Langui camp to the site in Poli. UNHCR's protection strategy will bid to improve the reporting of, and response to sexual and gender-based violence in camps. Refugee students will be assisted in gaining access to education.

UNHCR Cameroon will continue to protect urban refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from CAR, Chad and the Great Lakes region. The Office will work closely with the national authorities to help these people of concern receive work permits and gain access to public services, such as health care and education. The voluntary repatriation of refugees from the Great Lakes region will be pursued as long as conditions in their countries of origin allow it. UNHCR will also intensify the search for resettlement opportunities, particularly for people with specific protection needs.

Constraints

Access to refugee settlements in the East and Adamaoua provinces remains difficult. Refugees there are settled in 65 sites spread over a territory of 35,000 square kilometres. Security constraints, including attacks by bandits known as coupeurs de routes in Adamaoua, may hamper implementation of UNHCR's programme. Poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season, hinder the provision of relief items.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR coordinates its activities with the ministries of External Relations and Territorial Administration. The Office also works closely with several NGOs and UN Agencies, including WFP and UNICEF.

Following the expansion of UNHCR's programme in 2008, office structures and implementation strategies have been revamped in order to improve humanitarian responses. UNHCR also began collaboration with new NGO partners that will continue in 2009.

Financial information

With the exception of a slight decline in the annual budget in 2006 due to the finalization of the repatriation operation of Nigerian refugees, Cameroon has experienced a constant increase in its budget, stemming from growing refugee inflows from neighbouring countries.

The poor living conditions and political instabilities in CAR caused the new arrival of 20,000 refugees, which is reflected by an increase of the annual budget in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, the annual budget increased due to the continuous influx of refugees, such as the arrival of Chadian refugees.