Without urgent international support, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warns that their struggle for survival will be increasingly desperate.
Anglophone Cameroonians began fleeing violence in October 2017 and continue to pour into Nigeria’s Cross River, Taraba, Benue and Akwa-Ibom states. In total, over 20,000 refugees have been registered in the area. Women and children account for four-fifths of the population.
A recent assessment by humanitarian groups shows how grim the situation has become. 95% of the asylum seekers have no more than three days of food. Most families are down to one meal per day.
The coping strategies people are using are themselves risky and range from borrowing money to cutting food portions or saving food only for children.
Most asylum seekers say they are having to drink water from streams, ponds and other unsafe sources, because of inadequate or dysfunctional drinking water facilities. Essential relief items, such as clothing, blankets, and plastic sheeting, are available to fewer than 25% of them.
Only five in every 100 Cameroonians have proper or independent shelter. The rest have little or no privacy, squatting in rooms hosting an average of 10 to 15 people. Protection from the cold is lacking, increasing health concerns due to the imminent start of the rainy season.
Malaria is reportedly already on the increase. Children commonly exhibit rapid breathing and coughing. Many participants in the assessment were suffering from fear, anxiety, poor sleep and flashbacks.
