Situation of Anglophone Refugees:

Biya to Dispatch Powerful Delegation to Nigeria

On the instructions of President Paul Biya, a government mission will in the next few days, travel to Nigeria’s Cross River State to meet with Anglophone Refugees and discuss conditions for their imminent return to their respective localities in the country.

By Tanyi Kenneth Musa in Yaounde

Issa Tchiroma Bakary

This was the take home from a press conference granted the national and international press Friday, by government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Though the press confab was meant to debunk damaging remarks by Amnesty International in its 2017/2018 report on Cameroon, Issa Tchiroma used the occasion to also announce the government’s planned solidarity initiative towards the Anglophone refugees in Nigeria.

            Yet, it is not immediately known what the delegation would say to the refugees as to convince them that all conditions would be met for their safe return home.

Neither did the government spokesman explain for instance where and how those whose houses have been burnt would be resettled nor did he give security guarantees especially with the continued presence of the same military that caused the people to flee in the first place.

            Though commentators have hailed the government for finally thinking of the over 40.000 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, they said the government should also give serious thought to the humanitarian challenges that await these people upon their return, giving that many have lost all their property and so may not have where to go to when they come back into the country.

It should be noted also that Issa Tchiroma in announcing what he called “National Plan of Solidarity With Our Compatriots from NW and SW”, said nothing about the fate of the over 200.000 internally displaced persons, some of whom are now living in the bushes, whilst others have crossed over to neighboring towns and villages in French Cameroon.

            It should be noted that the UN Refugee Agency in several reports has lamented the humanitarian challenges that are the lot of the over 40.000 registered Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. It also noted that at least 160.000 persons have been internally displaced in the affected regions, with several thousands of them living in bushes and harsh environments.