On 5 December 2021, clashes over diminishing water resources broke out between herders, farmers and fishermen in Cameroon’s Far North region, the second major outbreak of violence within four months. The situation rapidly deteriorated: according to OCHA, 112 villages were burned, over 100 people were wounded, and 44 died. A result of growing communal tensions around the Lake Chad Basin, this wave of violence forced tens of thousands to flee into neighbouring Chad within two weeks, while around 38,000 people were displaced inside Cameroon. Grappling with immense challenges including endemic poverty, weak public services and chronic insecurity caused by protracted armed conflicts, these historically under-served areas face increasing environmental degradation, further fuelling food insecurity and competition over scarce resources.
The response
UNHCR immediately took action, declaring a Level 2 emergency for Chad on 15 December, maintaining the Level 1 emergency previously declared for Cameroon, and issuing a Supplementary Appeal to mobilise the necessary resources to respond to the emergency. UNHCR’s operational response for refugees and IDPs initially targeted emergency assistance and protection, prioritizing gender-based violence prevention and response, the provision of shelter and core relief items (CRIs), and site developments.
In Chad, UNHCR and its partners focused their initial response on life-saving assistance, protection delivery and identification of persons with specific needs. With more than 20,000 children among the affected population, the identification of children at risk was a priority. UNHCR led the refugee response in line with the Refugee Coordination Model.
In Far North Cameroon, UNHCR and its partners sought help from the Government to appease communal tensions and secure humanitarian access. In line with its IASC cluster responsibilities, UNHCR led and coordinated the initial protection, camp coordination and camp management and shelter response. This included carrying out protection screenings, giving children solar lamps and tablets to help them pursue their education, building shelters and consolidating informal sites, and distributing core relief items and food in coordination with partners to meet the internally displaced’s most urgent needs.
Six months later, where are we?
Six months later, an appeasement in inter-communal tensions as well as the delivery of protection and assistance have resulted in an improvement of the situation in both Chad and Far North Cameroon. Many refugees have spontaneously returned from Chad, while others have expressed their intention to return. As such,
UNHCR has been able to pivot towards looking for durable solutions and ways to end this forced displacement crisis by planning assistance for voluntary returns, and reintegration support for refugee returnees. Strict anti-fraud protocols will ensure that protection and assistance continue to reach those most in need even as cross-border movements take place.
This new phase also comes with new challenges: underfunding meant not all identified needs could be covered during the first six months of the emergency response, leaving some critical gaps. The rainy season is rendering access to many out-of-camp sites very difficult on both sides of the border, forcing some protection and assistance activities such as registration to come to a temporary halt. To face these challenges and support a sustainable transition out of the emergency, UNHCR continues to require critical funding support from donors for the implementation of life-saving assistance, protection, registration and durable solutions activities.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees