Crisis overview
Despite of minimal public attention, the humanitarian situation in Cameroon continues to be deeply concerning with three concurrent crises that show no sign of abating: the Lake Chad Basin conflict, the North-West and South-West crisis and the influx of Central African Republic refugees. In 2026, humanitarian needs are expected to persist due to ongoing conflict, violence and insecurity, climate-related shocks, and health emergencies, leaving 2.9 million people in urgent need of assistance. This includes 1.4 million people in the Far North, 1.1 million people in the North-West and South-West and 337,000 people among Central African and urban refugees.
Cameroon hosts over 845,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), nearly 791,000 returnees and around 426,000 refugees and asylum seekers. The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) will maintain its strategic focus on the most affected regions and population groups: IDPs, returnees, refugees, host communities and those left behind. Crisis-affected populations have expressed urgent needs related to safety and protection, access to clean water, healthcare, education, food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Far North Region, Cameroon
A woman affected by attacks from non-state armed groups receives emergency assistance.
Première Urgence Internationale/Eliya ZRAThe slight decrease in the number of people in need from 3.3 million people in 2025 to 2.9 million people in 2026 reflects a more strategic and shock-driven scope of analysis, which now focuses only on populations living in areas in inter-sectoral severity 3 to 5. This reduction does not indicate an improvement in the humanitarian situation in a context where conflict and insecurity are ongoing and structural development gaps and chronic vulnerabilities continue to deepen humanitarian needs.
Operational capacities have been significantly impacted by years of underfinancing and the drastic reduction of funds from certain donors in 2025, limiting the ability to respond effectively. Strengthened advocacy is urgently needed to mobilize resources, create an enabling environment for humanitarian operations and ensure that no one is forgotten. The international community must recognize the scale of the crisis and support a principled, coordinated response to alleviate suffering and uphold human dignity in Cameroon.
Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026
Cameroon is one of the eight transition countries under the Humanitarian Reset. As such, and despite continued high humanitarian needs, Cameroon is undergoing a significant shift in its humanitarian architecture. The country is transitioning from the internationally led Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) model to a more localized approach led by national and local actors. As part of this transition, and given the continued severity of humanitarian needs, the HCT has agreed to develop a streamlined strategic planning document for 2026 to maintain visibility on needs and support advocacy and resource mobilization efforts.
In 2026, the humanitarian response in Cameroon will require an estimated $308 million to deliver timely, principled and inclusive life-saving assistance to 1.8 million people targeted, prioritizing the 1 million people facing the most severe needs.
The targeting methodology used for 2026 will maximize the impact of limited resources by maintaining a sharp focus on the most life-threatening needs across the Far North, North-West and South-West regions as well as in the eastern regions impacted by the influx of Central African refugees. Thus, in alignment with global guidance, the 2026 targets will start from divisions in that scope with a level of severity 3, to ensure a more comprehensive coverage of vulnerable populations facing deteriorating conditions. However, the prioritized target will focus on areas with inter-sectoral severity 4, where people experience the most critical needs.
East Region, Cameroon
Training and support provided in farmer training fields.
Action Contre la Faim CamerounThe current approach also reflects the recent adjustments in severity classification in the North-West region, with Bui division moving from severity 3 to 4, while Boyo and Donga-Mantung have shifted from severity 4 to 3. Severities in the other main regions within the 2026 geographical scope remain unchanged.
The preliminary financial requirement estimates for 2026 are calculated based on the average cost per person from the 2025 HRP, applied to the targeted population for 2026. The prioritized financial requirements ($171 million) have been calculated using the same formula but applied to the prioritized caseload of 1 million people.
In 2026, humanitarian partners will deliver multi-sectoral aid, encompassing food assistance, protection (with a focus on gender-based violence, child protection services, and protection monitoring), health services, water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as shelter, through a combination of in-kind and cash-based modalities. Voluntary repatriation for refugees, mainly to the Central African Republic, will continue to be supported by funding efforts through the CAR Platform. Meanwhile, in the Far North, projects aimed at enhancing refugee inclusion through economic development activities, particularly in Minawao camp, will be implemented. Community consultations and feedback mechanisms will inform the response to ensure it aligns with the priorities of crisis-affected populations.
However, due to resource constraints and response prioritization, around 1.1 million people in need will not be targeted in 2026. This underscores the urgent need for sustained advocacy for additional funding to address unmet needs and prevent further deterioration.
Cameroon
2025 in review: response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
In 2025, 3.3 million people living in Cameroon needed humanitarian assistance and protection. As of 30 September 2025, humanitarian partners had reached more than 662,000 people in crisis-affected areas.
Education
More than 144,000 people were provided with access to formal and non-formal education including girls, boys and adolescents.
Food security
A total of 294,000 people received food, agriculture, and livelihood support, including through cash transfers.
Health
Over 309,000 people received essential healthcare, including in hard-to-reach areas through mobile clinics.
Nutrition
Partners reached more than 186,000 people including children with nutrition services and lifesaving treatment for severe and acute malnutrition.
Protection
Partners provided protection services to 233,000 people, including 108,000 people with gender-based violence services, 207,000 people with child protection services, and 14,000 people with legal assistance and counselling on housing, land and property.
Shelter
More than 77,000 people received emergency shelter items and NFI assistance.
WASH
242,000 persons benefited from sustainable access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation and hygiene services.
Far North Region, Cameroon
In Makary, Ibrahim, 13, received a tricycle wheelchair from Plan International, allowing him to attend school like his peers for the first time. Previously, his inability to walk made this impossible.
Plan International Cameroon/Ayrton SadieuConsequences of funding cuts
Operational challenges
Limited capacity to foster humanitarian access due to funding cuts. With fewer resources available for logistics and specialized technical staff, regular presence of humanitarian partners in hard-to-reach areas is undermined. As a result, communities experience critical delays in the response, and some are entirely deprived of humanitarian assistance.
Increased humanitarian assistance gaps
In 2025, 2.1 million people were targeted for assistance, however, projections indicate that only 800,000 will be reached by year’s end. Due to severe underfunding, 1.3 million people will be left without their urgent needs met. Severe funding cuts have led to a significant reduction in assistance and the cost of inaction means a greater impact on people affected by the crisis.
https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-cost-inactionSecurity
In the North-West and South-West, lockdowns, mobility restrictions, repeated attacks on schools and health facilities as well as the use of improvised explosive devices continue to undermine humanitarian operations. Reduced funding means that partners have fewer resources to adjust to shifting security dynamics or sustain mobile and community-based services, leaving many people without the necessary life-saving assistance.
Violent attacks and looting
In the Far North, abductions, looting and violent attacks, including on schools and health facilities, continues to endanger civilians and disrupt essential services. Funding cuts further weaken the humanitarian presence and capacity, reducing partners’ ability to provide protection, support affected households, and respond rapidly to new incidents leaving vulnerable communities with little assistance.
Putting people first : Cameroon’s journey toward accountability
In Cameroon, humanitarian actors have made a strong commitment to place affected populations at the centre of the response. Three collective tools support practical implementation of accountability:
- A dashboard that monitors complaints and feedback
- A joint Humanitarian Complaint and Feedback Mechanism that centralizes and manages community feedback across humanitarian actors
- A perception survey that amplifies the voices of those we serve
The perception survey stands out as a transformative experience. Since 2024, local organizations have taken the lead, gathering insights from over 8,000 individuals including women, girls, men, boys, persons with disabilities, and elderly people across diverse regions.
What makes this survey exceptional is not just its scale but its ownership. At least 31 local organizations voluntarily participated, reducing operational costs and significantly enhancing community trust.
By listening directly to people’s experiences, these organizations didn’t just collect feedback, they embraced ownership of accountability. The results of the survey are widely shared in the humanitarian community and nourish sectoral analyses to eventually strengthen the planning of the humanitarian response.
This exercise has shown that when local actors lead, the response becomes more grounded, more accepted, and more effective. It’s a story of localization, dignity, and the power of listening.