Intercommunal clashes that erupted successful Cameroon’s Far North portion implicit the past 2 weeks person driven astatine slightest 100,000 radical from their homes, though the existent fig whitethorn beryllium overmuch higher, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said on Friday. 
 

In the past few days, more than 85,000 radical person fled into neighbouring Chad while astatine slightest 15,000 Cameroonians person been forced to flee inside their country.  

“Indications are that displacement into Chad has accelerated fast, arsenic the full is astir triple the fig reported past week, erstwhile 30,000 radical had crossed the borderline seeking safety”, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told journalists astatine a regular property briefing successful Geneva.

Casualties

Casualties from the warring person besides taken 44 lives and injured different 111 – an summation compared past week’s 22 dormant and 30 wounded.

And 112 villages have reportedly been burned down.  

The immense bulk of caller arrivals successful Chad are children and 98 per cent of the adults are women. 

Some 48,000 person recovered refuge successful 18 municipality sites successful N’Djamena, the superior of Chad, and 37,000 radical are scattered crossed 10 agrarian sites along the bank of the Logone River. 

In dire need

Along with the authorities, UNHCR, different UN agencies and humanitarian partners are rushing to present life-saving assistance.

UNHCR has declared a Level 2 exigency and is rapidly scaling up its operations to assistance affected radical successful Cameroon and caller refugees who person fled into Chad.

“Refugees are successful dire request of shelter, blankets, mats and hygienic kits. Some are being generously hosted by section communities, but astir are inactive sleeping successful the unfastened and nether trees”, said the UNHCR spokesperson.

“And teams are assisting the Government to place caller hosting sites located further from the borderline to amended support refugees successful enactment with planetary standards”.

Efforts underway

In Far North Cameroon, information forces person been deployed and disarmament operations are successful progress.

Although fewer incidents person been reported during the past week, tensions stay high.

However, UNHCR reported that it inactive cannot entree Logone Birni agrarian territory wherever the clashes started, owed to insecurity.

“Our teams successful the cities of Maroua and Kousseri are assessing the extortion and humanitarian needs of radical displaced wrong the country. Many of the displaced, study difficulties uncovering harmless h2o and person nary entree to latrines. Concerning hygiene issues, are connected the rise”, the UNHCR spokesperson said.

Month of violence

Clashes initially broke retired connected 5 December successful the borderline colony of Ouloumsa pursuing a quality betwixt herders, fishermen and farmers implicit dwindling h2o resources.

The clime situation is exacerbating the contention for resources, particularly water. Levels successful Lake Chad, successful the acold bluish portion of Cameroon, person decreased by arsenic overmuch arsenic 95 per cent successful the past 60 years.

UNHCR and Cameroonian authorities organized a reconciliation forum successful aboriginal December, during which assemblage representatives committed to extremity the violence.

“But without urgent enactment to code the basal causes of the crisis, the concern could escalate further”, Mr. Saltmarsh warned, calling for planetary enactment to assistance the forcibly displaced and “end the unit truthful that radical tin instrumentality location safely”.

Chad is location to astir 1 cardinal refugees and internally displaced radical (IDPs) and Cameroon to much than 1.5 cardinal refugees and IDPs.