from ROSY SADOU in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Cameroon Bureau
YAOUNDÉ, (CAJ News) – FLOODS are worsening the humanitarian situation in northern Cameroon.
The Cameroonian civilians are under threat from Islamist groups Boko Haram as well as militants Ambazonia agitating for self-rule, alleging discrimination by the government of Africa’s oldest and longest ruler, Paul Biya.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the rise in river waters, mainly in the department of Logone and Chari, has affected more than 448 000 people (65 945 households), causing the destruction of more than 56 000 homes and the loss of tens of thousands of hectares and animals.
The district of Fotokol is particularly affected with 52 flooded villages. In Makary, a dike gave way in the Goslo district, destroying homes and causing households to move to safer areas.
Other localities such as Blangoua, Hilé-Alifa and Darak continue to suffer from rising waters.
The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has granted an allocation of $4 million for a rapid response in the departments most affected by these floods.
The intervention sectors are food security, shelter and essential household items, health, water, hygiene and sanitation.
OCHA notes that despite the financial support, the needs identified in the affected areas, including at least 36 registered reception sites, remained high.
“The living conditions of the affected populations in these sites also remain worrying and expose them to the risks of cholera contagion,” said a spokesperson.
The security situation has been marked by abuses by non-state armed groups against civilian populations, particularly in the Lake Chad area.
According to initial estimates from local sources, more than 25 000 people have been displaced in this context.
Since January 2024, more than 39 300 people (5 800 households) have been displaced in the Far North due to insecurity.
By the end of November, 123 security incidents had been recorded, with 20 people killed, including two women and a child, 28 injured and 43 abducted.
– CAJ News