Cameroon Report – YAOUNDE
Central African country is affected by complex humanitarian crises in nine of its ten regions.
The number of people in need of urgent assistance in Cameroon drastically increased from 3.9 million in early 2020 to 6.2 million since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
‘’Cameroon is affected by four concurrent, complex humanitarian situations: Boko Haram violence in the Far North region; growing humanitarian needs resulting from hostilities in the North-West and South-West regions, with spillover effects in the West and Littoral regions; consequences of the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic into the eastern regions (Adamawa, North and East) and the COVID-19 outbreak affecting the entire territory of Cameroon,’’ OCHA said in a report.
OCHA added that the country’s humanitarian needs are compounded by structural development deficits and chronic vulnerabilities that further challenge the long-term recovery of affected people.
Since the first case of COVID-19 in Cameroon on March 5, 2020, the delivery of humanitarian assistance has become more challenging.
‘’At the same time, the pandemic has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in congested refugees’ and displaced persons’ sites with a weak health and sanitation infrastructure,’’ it added.
The closure of borders for material and humanitarian organizations during several weeks also affected the possibilities of providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people.
