By Synthia Lateu
Cameroon has been ranked as the most neglected displacement crisis in the world, according to a new report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The 2024 report highlights a surge in hunger, with at least 2.8 million people facing acute food insecurity, driven by ongoing conflict and climate-related shocks.
Flooding, drought, and the worst rainy season in the Far North region since 1990 destroyed homes, crops, and essential infrastructure. Despite the dire needs, humanitarian funding covered less than half of the required response, leaving millions vulnerable.
“Just 32 percent of the funding needed for protection assistance was met, leaving women and displaced communities especially vulnerable to human rights violations,” the report noted.
The NRC further highlighted that 3.4 million people were in urgent need of assistance and protection during the year under review. Over 1.1 million people were internally displaced, while nearly 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers remained in limbo, struggling to access basic services. Approximately 70 percent of displaced persons lived outside formal camps—often on marginal land without legal protection or tenure rights.
The report emphasized that Cameroon is grappling with three distinct and prolonged crises—in the Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions—yet remains largely overlooked by international media, donors, and policymakers.
” We predicted another challenging year for Cameroon in 2024. What we could not anticipate was just how profoundly the crisis would deepen. Indeed, Cameroon tops the neglected crises list a this year.” the NRC stated, adding that the crisis continues to receive limited media attention and global support.
Further aggravating the situation, tensions over limited resources, lack of essential civil documentation, and restricted access to services have plunged affected communities deeper into hardship. Many people have no means to earn a living or send their children to school, leaving 1.4 million children in need of education assistance, the report said.
Cameroon’s appearance on the NRC’s annual list has been consistent over the years. The country ranked second in 2023, seventh in 2022, third in 2021, second in 2020, and topped the list in both 2019 and 2018. This ongoing pattern points to chronic neglect and the worsening nature of the crisis.
Globally, the report indicates that in 2024, the number of displaced people around the world has doubled compared to a decade ago. At the same time, humanitarian funding met only about half of the rising needs. The funding shortfall in 2024 alone reached a staggering USD 25 billion—an amount the report notes is equivalent to what the world spends on defense every three to four days.
Elsewhere in the NRC’s ranking, Ethiopia moved to second place this year, its highest position since the report’s inception nine years ago. Mozambique made its first appearance on the list in third place, while Burkina Faso, which topped the list in both 2022 and 2023, is now ranked fourth. Mali, Uganda, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, and Somalia were also listed among the most neglected crises.
