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Current Requirements (US$)$407.3 million
Analysis of the context, crisis and needs
Nine out of 10 regions of Cameroon continue to be impacted by three complex humanitarian crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict, the North-West and South-West (NWSW) crisis and the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee crisis. In 2023, one out of six people living in Cameroon needs humanitarian assistance and protection, a total of 4.7 million people. More than 3.6 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and more than 2 million people are on the move as internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees or refugees. Humanitarian needs are compounded by structural development weaknesses and chronic vulnerabilities that further challenge the long-term recovery of affected people. The severity and scope of humanitarian needs in Cameroon continue to grow due to the impact of conflict and insecurity, epidemics and climate-related effects, such as floods and droughts. The prolonged nature of these crises, new or repeated displacement, and insufficient humanitarian assistance are factors that contribute to the considerable erosion of the affected population’s already limited resilience, leading to an increase in negative coping mechanisms, including child labour, child marriage and survival sex.
Igawa Meme, Far North, Cameroon
Saide and Mogogne both raise their children alone after their husbands died. Like many other single mothers, they support each other to make ends meet.
OCHA/Ariane MaixandeauIn the Far North region, there are over 380,000 IDPs. Intercommunal clashes in August and December 2021 in Logone-Birni displaced over 70,000 people, including to Chad. Humanitarian assistance to these IDPs and returnees is severely limited due to a lack of resources. Furthermore, heavy flooding affected over 258,000 people from August to November 2022. Thousands of houses and hectares of farmland were destroyed and cattle lost, and affected populations were deprived of access to education and health-care facilities. The flooding also exacerbated the cholera epidemic in October 2022, leading to numerous of deaths. As a result, acute food insecurity continued to increase in the region.
The crisis in the NWSW regions has displaced almost 715,000 people since 2017 within Cameroon and to Nigeria. Short-term, pendular movements because of fear of attacks, military operations or confrontations between armed groups persist, while thousands of people continue to suffer from human rights violations and abuses. Protection, drinking water, food, health and education are the most acute needs of the affected populations. Only 9 per cent of IDP children go to school, as educational facilities, staff and schoolchildren continue to be attacked.
Cameroon’s eastern regions are home to 335,000 refugees from CAR. Access to livelihoods, food, WASH services and education remains limited for these refugees and their host communities. The steadily increasing number of refugees continues to exert significant pressure on natural resources and basic social services in the host areas.
Ardjanire, Far North, Cameroon
Children displaced with their mother since December 2021 following intercommunal conflict.
OCHA/Ariane MaixandeauProjected situation in 2023 and beyond
In 2023, 4.7 million people in Cameroon will need humanitarian assistance — a 17 per cent increase compared to 2022. Insecurity is expected to remain high in the Far North and NWSW regions in 2023 and will continue to cause population displacement, exacerbating limited access to food and other essential needs.
Tension between communities and the host population and displaced persons are likely to continue in 2023 in certain areas. This is due to the crises’ protracted nature leading to a steady decline in living standards; the impact of climate change further exacerbating the impact of natural disasters, especially flooding; and the conflict over natural resources.
Meanwhile, the political and security situation in neighbouring CAR, Chad and Nigeria is likely to lead to an increased number of people seeking refuge in Cameroon in 2023.
Insecurity will continue to render humanitarian access challenging in 2023, especially in the NWSW and Far North regions, with underfunding thought to remain the most important impediment to reaching people in need.
Bamenda, North-West Region, Cameroon
A young man receives a new wheelchair during WHO’s distribution of medical equipment.
OCHA/Ariane MaixandeauResponse priorities in 2023
In 2023, humanitarian partners plan to reach 2.8 million people (57 per cent of the number of People in Need), requiring US$413.6 million. Cameroon’s response plan recognizes that each crisis requires its distinct approach. In the NWSW region, the protection of victims of violence, and emergency assistance in food, nutrition, health, WASH, shelter and education continue to be the priority in 2023. In the Littoral and West regions, humanitarian stakeholders plan to increase response activities for IDPs and their host families in 2023 through the capacity-building of local actors. In the Far North, assistance to forcibly displaced people, especially newly displaced people, and the promotion of sustainable solutions through the implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace Nexus are the main priorities for 2023. In the East, Adamawa and North regions, the main objective continues to be reducing refugees’ dependence on humanitarian aid and developing areas hosting refugees, while humanitarian assistance will continue to support the most vulnerable refugees and host communities.
The humanitarian community will further promote accountability to affected populations, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender- and age-sensitive programming, and it will foster the inclusion of persons living with disabilities and localization in 2023.