Cameroon

Overview

Cameroon has been experiencing an interplay of protracted crisis situations which continues to define political, economic and social developments in the country. Longstanding grievances in the anglophone community in Northwest and Southwest regions due to marginalisation of the minority English-speaking regions by the francophone-dominated government escalated into widespread protests and strikes in late 2016.?This has resulted in the emergence of different separatist groups clamouring for the creation of a self-proclaimed Ambazonian Republic in the northwest and southwest. Clashes between the military and the separatist forces has intensified insecurity in the regions, leaving over 573,900 people internally displaced and about 77,000 people seeking refuge in Neighbouring Nigeria.?

Boko Haram's insurgency in Nigeria's  northeast has also spilled over into Cameroon's Far North region, mainly due to the proximity and porosity of borders between the two countries. After Nigeria, Cameroon is the second most-affected country by the violence and insecurity linked to BH in Lake Chad basin.?More than 124,000 Nigerian refugees fled to Cameroon's far north, while violence by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has also internally displaced more than 377,000 people in the same area.?

Apart from the above, Cameroon is also host to over 345,000 refugees from CAR mainly due to conflict.?The CAR refugees are predominately located in the Est, Adamaoua and Nord regions.

Latest Developments

The school year has started on 5 September, but thousands of children have been unable to return to class in the Northwest and Southwest regions because of the lockdown imposed by some separatist groups who ordered the closure of public schools until 1 October. The intensification of attacks by armed separatist groups since early September is also forcing people (including students and teachers) to flee to safer areas, hampering access to education further. Although some separatist armed groups tolerate the resumption of classes in schools deemed to be in line with their ideology, many parents remain reluctant to send their children to school for fear of abduction and attacks on teachers, students, and parents. Two out of three schools were non-operational in 2021 in the Northwest and Southwest regions, affecting more than 700,000 students – a trend that is likely to worsen with the recent attacks on school facilities.?