WUNRN
http://dignitytelevisio.blogspot.it/2015/03/near-humanitarian-crisis-situation-in.html
Cameroon – Humanitarian Crisis in North Cameroon – 10,000 +
Conflict-Displaced Women & Children
Cameroon
Girls Internally Displaced by Conflict
Gwain
Colbert, Staff writer, Dignity Television – March 29, 2015
No
thanks to the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the situation of Internally
Displaced Persons, IDPs, especially women, girls and children in the Far North
of Cameroon is nearing a humanitarian crisis level. The dismal conditions under
which the over 10 000 who have fled their homes, no thanks to Boko Haram in
villages and communities neighboring Nigeria, is to say the least, alarming.
A
last week report on state-owned national radio and tv, crtv, confirmed what has
over the last few months been considered rumor. The women who had fled their
homes after their men were brutally murdered by the Islamist sect recount
gloomy stories of the sights and scenes of the attacks.
Even
though the entry of the multi-national force led by Chad has turned the battle
around as heavy casualties have been inflicted on the insurgents thereby
drastically minimizing their fire power, the situation of those who have been
internally displaced is a far cry as they have been abandoned to themselves
both by the international community and the government of Cameroon in
preference to refugees. Although it is well known that at war-time, the High
Commissioner for Refugees take care of refugees while the local government
concentrates on the IDPs, Cameroon authorities have since the start of the war
preferred to take care of refugees to the detriment of Internally Displaced.
Only
recently, Cameroon’s Head of State, Paul Biya assigned some 4 billion CFA for
the building of schools and supply of basic equipment to the refugees while
First Lady, Chantal Biya followed up with a 50 million CFA donation for the
supply of sanitation equipment to the over 23 000 refugees mostly from Nigeria
and Central Africa Republic.
During
a recent fact-finding mission to the Far North of Cameroon by the
Cameroonian-American and C.E.O of The Formunyoh Foundation, TFF who is also
Regional Director of the National Democratic Institute, NDI, Dr. Christopher
Formunhoh was scandalized to see that very little was done by Cameroon
authorities to cater to the needs of the Internally Displaced Persons, even as
their situation was being described as ‘precarious’.
After
elaborate discussions with local authorities in the Far North, Dr. Christopher
Formunyoh went home with the idea that government did not even have full
statistics of the IDPs in Cameroon following the outbreak of the war; talk less
of their living conditions. After fielding questions on the reasons-why, local
government officials simply told him the situation was complex because most of
those displaced took refuge with friends and relations in distant villages in
Logone and Shari Division.
Before
living the Far North of Cameroon, the Chief Executive Officer of The Formunyoh
Foundation who came along with lots of assistance for the Internally Displaced
Persons and other categories of war victims, urged government to hire a
specialized service to identify and ascertain the number as well as the living
conditions of the IDPs so their needs could be taken care of.
Initial
Crtv reports had put the number at over 10 000, and given the track
record of the state-own media to deform figures, it is widely speculated that
the figure could be triple. Victims of war and especially IDPs are left to
themselves their family members and friends. The over 10 000 displaced persons
women and children live under subhuman conditions for no fault of theirs. This
is a category of people who only want to live and led life. Naturally, women
virtually lack what their counterparts elsewhere take for granted.
Historically, women and
children have been discriminated against and used as property by men. Before
the actual arrival of Boko Haram, women and girls have been book haram
influenced in more ways than one, including lack of access to education,
health care, political and economic as well as decision-making
responsibilities. Today, they have been forced out of their natural habitat for
no fault of theirs. How much longer can society watch on while these
hard-to-reach and under-served segments of society suffer and die in silence?