Anglophone/ Boko Haram Crises:
4.4 million people in Cameroon are in need of humanitarian aid – World Food Program

By Tata Mbunwe


The United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, in its December Country report for Cameroon, has stated that 4.4 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, while 40 percent of the country’s 27 million population is living below poverty line.


In the report published this February, WFP says 48.3 million US Dollars (FCFA 27.9 billion) is needed for humanitarian aid between January and June 2022.


The organisation says armed conflicts in the Northwest and Southwest regions and in the Far North region have triggered high humanitarian needs, raising poverty levels with women being worst affected.

While 40 percent of Cameroonians live below the poverty line, WFP says the figure for women stands at 52 percent, making them the worst group of people affected by the armed conflicts.

The situation of women is worsened by gender inequality which WFP says remains highly prevalent in the country, making Cameroon 141 out of 189 countries in the UNDP 2020 Gender Inequality Index.

“The country has been significantly affected by three complex crises: armed conflict between non-state armed groups and state forces escalating in the North West and South West regions; non-State armed groups (NSAGs) insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin resulting in an influx of refugees from Nigeria as well as internal displacements in the Far North Region; and the influx of Central African Republic (CAR) refugees in the East, Adamawa, and North regions,” WFP said.

These conflicts have displaced over 1 million people internally and more than 449,000 refugees have fled into the country from neighbouring Nigeria and Central Africa Republic.

About 711,000 people in the Northwest and Southwest regions are internally displaced as conflict between Ambazonia separatists and Government forces enters its fifth year.

While, 4.4 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance, it was estimated that more than 2.4 million people were food insecure between October and December 2021.

“The vulnerabilities have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Centre for Disease Control, CDC, as of 10 January 2022 there were 109,666 confirmed cases and 1,853 COVID-related deaths reported since the pandemic began. About 4.3 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with only 3.4 percent having received two doses,” the organisation said.

WFP says it has carried out emergency food assistance and nutrition to support people affected by the crises and has helped to build the resilience and livelihoods of the population.

In November 2021 alone, it assisted 572,999 Cameroonians, including 304,733 women.

Last year, it distributed 3,903 mt of food alongside cash transfers of USD 566,540 (FCFA 327,328,516).

In the Northwest and Southwest regions, WFP says it distributed 1,388 mt of food and USD 332,932 (FCFA 192,357,358) cash transfers to 209,787 beneficiaries.

Meanwhile in the Far North Region, WFP says it has supported 107,591 people (54 percent women) with 1,020 mt of food and cash transfers of USD 233,608 (FCFA 134,971,158).