There are two refugee caseloads in Cameroon: a group from Central African Republic (CAR) which started arriving in 2005, and a group from Chad which arrived from 1 February 2008.
The CAR refugees have fled insecurity caused by the armed rebellion, groups of bandits and paramilitary groups in northwest CAR. A November 2007 Joint Assessment Mission involving UNHCR, WFP UNICEF, FAO, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and the Government of Cameroon numbered the refugees in need of food assistance at 55,000, and described their food security as being extremely precarious.
The mission recommended a full ration for a period of a year, and nutritional supplementation for children, pregnant and lactating women. This caseload has been assisted since 1 August 2007. The possible phasing out of assistance will depend on the refugees’ being able to return to CAR, which in turn is dependent on the security situation in CAR.
Chadian refugees fled N’Djamena from 1 February 2008 into Kousseri (a border town in the extreme north of Cameroon close to N’Djamena) following an attack of Chadian rebel groups against government authorities in the capital. A WFP Rapid Assessment Mission was fielded to Kousseri town and its environs from 7 - 12 February 2008 and concluded that the refugees, comprised mostly women and children, are dependent on food assistance until they are able to return to Chad.
Out of the over 40,000 that fled, many have already returned, but others are deterred from returning by security concerns back in Chad and have been transferred to a camp in Maltam (33 km west of Kousseri). Initial assistance was provided through an Immediate Response EMOP, and the logistics infrastructure has been strengthened through a Special Operation.
The UN Country Team and humanitarian partners estimate that some 20,000 Chadian refugees and 10,000 members of the host population require WFP food assistance.
For the Chadian refugee influx, major United Nations agencies in Cameroon have established an operational presence in and around Kousseri and the planned interventions to support both the refugees and the host population are consistent with UN and government plans and processes, as well as inter-agency contingency planning.
A six-month planning horizon has been established for the Chadian refugees in anticipation that the refugees would return within this period.
This emergency operation is intended to address the immediate food aid needs of both the CAR and the Chadian refugees, as recommended by the Joint Assessment Mission of November 2007 and the WFP Rapid Assessment Mission 2 of February 2008.
The planned operation addresses WFP Strategic Objective One: Save lives in crisis situations (SO1) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; MDG 4: Reduce child mortality; and MDG 5: Improve maternal mortality.
