The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has approved $5million for the implementation of emergency projects in Cameroon.
The funds, from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), will be used to carry out six projects over the next 12 months, according to UNOCHA.
The UN agency, in a statement, said that the projects would provide emergency assistance to people affected by the crisis in the northwest and southwest regions of the country.
Cameroon’s northwest and southwest regions have been rocked by violence after separatists declared the independence of ‘Ambazonia’.
The fighting between government security forces and armed groups has lingered for the past three years.
The crisis, which has led to more than 3,000 deaths, started when lawyers and teachers took to the streets of Buea and Bamenda to protest the domination of French in Anglophone courts and schools.
Reports have it that thousands of people remain vulnerable with humanitarian needs growing due to the prolonged crisis, increasing insecurity and displacement.
‘This funding comes at a time when the humanitarian response in Cameroon is underfunded and thousands of people continue to be left without vital humanitarian assistance and protection’, Head of UNOCHA in Cameroon, Carla Martinez, said.
‘As of 25 October, 2021, the humanitarian response plan for 2021 is funded at only 29.6 percent. In addition to the lack of financial resources, the humanitarian response faces other challenges including difficulties in accessing the population in need due to insecurity’.
Data from UNOCHA shows that the conflict has led to the internal displacement of more than 1.1 million people and a total of 4.4 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2021.
‘This CERF grant will enable the humanitarian community to sustain the multi-sectoral life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable population at the required levels’, the statement quoted Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Matthias Naab, as saying.
It is understood that the six projects will be implemented by six entities of the UN. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are three of the entities.
Others are the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). They are expected to work in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and public administration services in the country.
Source: UNOCHA
Photo source: Jbdodane
