In a bid to address the humanitarian needs of conflict-ridden regions in Cameroon, the United States government has dispatched 70,000 bags of rice to the country.
The shipment, which arrived on July 1, 2024, at the Douala seaport, was received by officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Cameroon.
“Today, 70,000 bags of rice (50 kg each), arrived at Douala Port, provided by the U.S. Government for humanitarian assistance in Cameroon. The Country Representative of the USAID – US Agency for International Development, Phillipe Accilien, and USAID Regional Humanitarian Advisor, John Grabowski, were on-site to observe the offloading operations of the rice shipped directly from the U.S. with the support of the American people,” the US embassy in Cameroon announced in a statement.
The statement added, “This contribution will help strengthen food security in Cameroon by providing essential support to the most vulnerable households, especially those affected by crises in the Adamawa, East, Far North, North, Northwest, and Southwest regions.”
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 3.4 million people in Cameroon are grappling with the impacts of conflict, violence, climate shocks, and disease outbreaks. The country is home to nearly one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and half a million returnees. Additionally, Cameroon hosts around half a million refugees and asylum seekers.
The ongoing conflicts in the Lake Chad basin, the North-West and South-West regions, along with the repercussions of the Central African Republic refugee crisis, continue to undermine the well-being and living conditions of the population.
At least 2.5 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity.
Protection needs are also dire: women and girls face high risks of gender-based violence, while men and boys are more vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and detention, death, and injury.
