Refugees from the Central African Republic will soon receive much needed aid but what about the IDPs from the NW/SW regions of Cameroon?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has signed a new declaration calling for more coordinated action to help over 1.4 million refugees in Cameroon from the Central African Republic. This was during a regional conference organized by the Government of Cameroon and UNHCR, which took place in Yaounde.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the aim of the conference was “to create a positive regional dynamic in the search for solutions for Central Africans refugees.”

The government, aid communities, businesses, development actors, civil society, private sector groups and more were asked to work in synergy to bring a solution to one of the biggest refugee crisis in Africa.

So far Cameroon has received the highest number of refugees from CAR (345.000). Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute said that despite the efforts put in by the state, the economic context is difficult and hence the necessity to adopt a regional approach for long lasting solutions.

The question on most minds remains the situation of the people internally/externally displaced as a result of the ongoing socio-political crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. The crisis counts over 712.800 internally displaced persons, 334.000 returnees in Cameroon (OCHA), and over 68.000 Cameroonian refugees registered in Nigeria (UNHCR).  So far their main humanitarian needs are related to protection, food, water, sanitation and hygiene.

A scenario where the backyard is forgotten to the benefit of other countries is a troubling one to many and hopes are on the government to find lasting solutions to these issues.