Cameroon: populations of crisis-affected regions exposed to worrying food situation

More than two million people living in 11 departments of the Far North, South West and North West regions will be in a situation of acute food insecurity in the coming months, according to projections by the Harmonized Framework of October 2021.

In the Far North region, the combination of climatic factors and insecurity has left people unable to build up sufficient food stocks for the upcoming lean season, usually between June and August but which could take place as early as April given the current conditions. Many households report already running out of food supplies. The low rainfall in recent months has prevented some crops from completing their growth cycle. Agricultural production has been attacked by rodents, locusts, seed-eating birds and pachyderms (elephants and hippos). These destructions particularly affected off-season crops, which are particularly important for access to food during the lean season.

The violence of inter-community clashes of December 2021 in Logone and Chari has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of people to neighboring Chad and more than 35,000 people are still internally displaced in the departments of Logone and Chari, Diamaré and Mayo Sava, dependent on food assistance after they had to leave goods, production tools and farming lands behind them.
Security conditions have also had a negative impact on food availability and prices. This past year has seen a significant increase in the price of basic foodstuffs – the price of millet has for instance increased of 29% between January 2021 and January 2022.
Daniel Kalbassou, President of the Far North region, is worried about this situation: “We are asking for everyone’s support to help us anticipate and manage the upcoming lean season. We cannot solve this situation alone, which will have harmful
nutritional consequences for the populations and, in view of the environmental factors, no improvement is to be expected in the short or medium term”.

In the North-West and South-West regions, the security crisis is causing frequent population displacements, reducing cultivated areas and agro-pastoral production capacities.
This food crisis is occurring in regions already weakened by crises and among populations affected by the socio-economic impact of two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Far North, it is more than ever necessary to combine sufficient emergency food aid for the populations affected by the conflicts with a response to the underlying causes of the crises, in order to enhance long-term resilience capacities. populations. In the North-West and South-West regions, strengthening the humanitarian response is essential to meet the basic needs of the populations and improve their protection.

Signatory NGOs :

Action contre la Faim
ALIMA
CARE
Danish Refugee Council
IEDA Relief
International Rescue Committee
Intersos
Lutheran World Federation
Norwegian Refugee Council
Première Urgence Internationale
Solidarités International
Yaoundé, 28 février 2022