The Humanitarian crisis in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions top the list in the situation in Central Africa and the activities of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa – Report of the Secretary-General (S/2021/517)
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The report submitted to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General dated 1 June 2021, is concern more about the growing insecurity in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West Regions. The report covers the major developments in the Central Africa subregion which includes: Political, peace and security developments and trends, Humanitarian developments, Human rights trends, Socioeconomic trends. The Activities of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa which includes: Good offices, preventive diplomacy and mediation, support for the United Nations, regional and subregional initiatives on peace and security, Enhancing United Nations coherence and coordination in the subregion. And the recommendations
The present report is submitted pursuant to the statement of the President of the Security Council dated 10 August 2018 (S/PRST/2018/17), in which the Council requested the Secretary-General to keep it informed about the activities of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) every six months. It provides an assessment of the major political and security trends in Central Africa since the report dated 1 December 2020 (S/2020/1154). The report also provides an update on the situation in the Lake Chad basin region, pursuant to Council resolution 2349 (2017)
The Central Africa subregion continued to face several political, peace and security challenges. The period under review was marked by the passing of the President of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno and the establishment of a transitional administration in the country; continued violence in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad basin; and elections in the Central African Republic, Chad and the Congo. Countries of the subregion continued to bolster efforts towards addressing the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, including by maintaining some restrictive measures and launching immunization plans. The subregion has demonstrated some resilience to COVID-19 by keeping the levels of infections and deaths relatively low, but at a high socioeconomic cost. The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) advanced its institutional reform and mandate in the area of peace and security
Humanitarian developments
Conflicts, floods and epidemics in various parts of Central Africa, aggravated by COVID-19, continued to have serious consequences for the humanitarian situation in the subregion.
There continues to be a highly complex humanitarian context in Cameroon owing to widespread insecurity, epidemics and floods. In 2021, 4.4 million people in Cameroon will need humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian partners planned to target 3 million of the most vulnerable in 2021. The crises in the Far North, North-West and South-West Regions led to the internal displacement of more than 1 million people, along with the return of 466,000 persons. The humanitarian response p lan for 2021 requires $362 million, 18 per cent of which had been funded by mid-May
As at 30 April, Cameroon hosted almost 447,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including almost 322,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and almost 117,000 from Nigeria. As a result of mounting tension and hostilities surrounding the presidential election in the Central African Republic, more than 6,500 new refugees from the Central African Republic arrived in Cameroon as at 30 April, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Pervasive insecurity in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon resulted in further abuses committed against civilians and forced displacements and hampered humanitarian access and access to basic services. As at 30 April, more than 67,000 Cameroonians had sought refuge in Nigeria. More than 409,000 people had been displaced within the two Regions and faced significant protection risks, including high rates of sexual and gender-based violence. As at 30 April, there were more than 409,000 returnees within the two Regions, while an additional 302,000 had been displaced to other regions of Cameroon. An estimated 700,000 children were left out of school owing to the crisis in the two Regions.
Attacks against humanitarian, health and education personnel and facilities in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon continued. Armed clashes between non-State armed groups and government forces, the use of improvised explosive devices and the enforcement of lockdowns by non-State armed groups continued to pose security threats and access challenges to humanitarian partners. On 8 January, a truck contracted by the World Food Programme carrying food items was caught in the crossfire after Government forces had been ambushed at the Metazem checkpoint, North-West Region. The driver and his assistant were both killed. On 4 February, unidentified gunmen fired upon a clearly marked ambulance from a medical NGO, responding to an emergency call, near Muyuka, South-West Region, wounding one aid worker. On 24 April, the vehicle of a national NGO was shot at by a soldier at an official checkpoint near Mamfe town in the South-West region. Two staff members were injured.
On 26 March, a United Nations convoy comprising six staff members from the World Food Programme and one from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was attacked with stones and gunshots by a non-State armed group at Ikata village, South-West Region of Cameroon. The convoy returned safely to Buea, although two armoured vehi cles were severely damaged. The attack on a United Nations convoy was the first of its kind in the North-West and South-West Regions. The United Nations suspended food distribution and humanitarian missions in the area until further notice.
On 10 February, the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria and UNHCR announced the planned voluntary return of 5,000 Nigerian refugees from the Minawao refugee camp in the Far North Region of Cameroon. As at 30 April, 3,880 Nigerian refugees had been voluntarily returned to Banki and Bama, Borno State, Nigeria.
Read and download the full report through the link below: The situation in Central Africa and the activities of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa – Report of the Secretary-General (S/2021/517) – Cameroon | ReliefWeb
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
