Anglophone Conflict:

UN Calls for Urgent Humanitarian Action in NW & SW

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Allegra Baiocchi, and Cameroon’s Civil Protection Director, Yap Mariatou, have warned key donor countries of the worrying developments in Cameroon and the drastic increase in humanitarian need in the country.

                “Cameroon today can no longer be a forgotten Crisis; it needs to be high on our agenda,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Allegra Baiocchi stated.

                While presenting the 2019 United Nations and Partners Humanitarian Response Plan, Allegra Baiocchi stated that “Hundreds of thousands of people on Cameroon’s territory need urgent assistance and protection. Attacks against civilians have increased and many conflict-affected people are surviving in harsh conditions without humanitarian assistance due to the dramatic underfunding of the response. Cameroon today can no longer be a forgotten crisis; it needs to be high on our agenda,” she reiterated.

                With needs rising by 31 per cent in a year, the UN estimates that around 4.3 million people in Cameroon, one in six people and mostly women and children require life-saving assistance. The joint Humanitarian Response Plan 2019 seeks US$299 million to assist 2.3 million vulnerable people, more than half of those in needs. Last year, a US$320 million response plan for Cameroon was only 40 per cent funded.

                According to Cameroon’s Civil Protection Director, Yap Mariatou, the Government has been at the forefront to protect the wellbeing of the people of the two English-speaking Regions.

                “The Government of Cameroon is responsible for the protection and wellbeing of its people and has been at the forefront of the response with its national and international partners”.

                “We acknowledge the scale of the different crises we face, and we encourage all the actors to work in close partnership to address the needs of Cameroonians and of the people we host,” Yap Mariatou added.

                The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Allegra Baiocchi, has reiterated the humanitarian needs are likely to increase in the coming years.

                “Humanitarian needs are likely to increase in coming years. This is worrying as humanitarian response budgets have rarely been adequately funded over the past years. Underfunding means we cannot do all we can to make a difference in the life of most vulnerable people across Cameroon, whether it is the girl who is missing school due to violence, the displaced mother struggling to feed her children, or the father who has lost his entire family,” Allegra Baiocchi insisted

                The aggravation of the conflict in the North West and South West Regions is the main driver behind the increase, with armed attacks in the Far North Region and new refugees coming from the Central African Republic also resulting in more people requiring aid.

                Insecurity and violence in these Regions have uprooted 437,000 people from their homes and forced over 32,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring Nigeria. Four million people are affected by the conflict in the North West and South West Regions. In addition, due to the deteriorating situation in northeast Nigeria, more than 10,000 new refugees arrived in Cameroon in 2018, bringing the number of Nigerian refugees to 100,000.

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UN Has Called for Urgent Humanitarian Support in NW & SW