Refugees in Cameroon are currently living in despair due to insecurity and the severe impact of climate change.
Development Diaries reports that competition over land, water and food is fueling intercommunal violence, and leading to an escalating refugee crisis, per rfi.
A community inhabited by the Choa Arab herders and Musgum fishers and farmers, who were once peaceful neighbours, relied on the Logone and Chari rivers for their grazing, farming and fishing activities.
Unfortunately, they have become bitter enemies as the water bodies have receded due to climate change.
The Logone River is one of Lake Chad’s major tributaries, and its surface has shrunk by up to 95 percent over the past 60 years, according to UNHCR.
The northern regions of Cameroon, according to World Bank, will continue to be the most climate-vulnerable, followed by the coastal regions and the highlands.
Meanwhile, the Choa Arabs grazers complain that the pools are dangerous for their animals, because they slip into them and drown.
Also, women are more severely impacted by climate change than males since they make up 75 percent of workers in the informal agriculture sector and are primarily in charge of their families’ welfare and food security, especially those who reside in war zones or among indigenous populations.
Development Diaries calls on the Cameroonian government to establish a system for climate-resilient agriculture, forestry, and land use to enhance sustainable development across the country’s agricultural and natural landscape.
Photo source: rfi
