US welcomes voluntary repatriation of Central African refugees

The United States of America has lauded the voluntary return of the first group of refugees from the Central African Republic, CAR living in Cameroon.In a statement on the occasion of United Nations Day, the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon noted that it “welcomes the voluntary return of the first groups of Central African Republic refugees to their country of origin this week.”“We congratulate the governments of the Republic of Cameroon and the Central African Republic as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for their cooperation and goodwill” it went on.The United States which is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Cameroon, has contributed over 87 million US Dollars since 2018 to humanitarian actors to provide food, water, shelter, and other services benefitting refugees and other vulnerable populations. In this lights, it said it encourages “other countries to contribute more to the urgent needs of refugees and vulnerable populations in Cameroon in a way that supports progress toward stability, good governance, and self-reliance.””We recognize the hospitality of the government of the Republic of Cameroon and of the Cameroonian people in continuing to host more than 400,000 refugees from neighboring countries. Protecting the rights of refugees and ensuring they have access to jobs and education for their children is fundamental” it added.There are about 300 Central African refugees who decided to return home to the Central African Republic after a few years of exile in eastern Cameroon, due to the drop in violence on the Central African Republic.They resided in the largest Central African refugee camp in Cameroon Gado a Garoua- Boulai. A convoy departed on 23 October from Garoua Boulai to the Central African Republic to Beloko where they were dropped off to restart their previous lives. The trip between Gado and the Beloko site was about an hour’s drive on the Central African side.Territorial Administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji was at the border with UNHCR officials to supervise the operation.Cameroon hosts more than 250,000 Central African refugees who have fled the war in their country. They live in different refugee camps in the east and in northern Cameroon.For their reintegration, individual assistance is provided on two aspects; at the household level and at the community level (medical screening, vaccination before travel, meals, transport, etc.) as well as assistance in their reintegration (food, cash for the acquisition of household goods and for shelters, support for those who have a trade, assistance in the context of agriculture).

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