Cameroon : North-West and South-West situation report No.69 - September 2024

This report is produced by OCHA Cameroon in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 1 to 30 September 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Nearly 500 children treated for severe acute malnutrition in partner-supported treatment centres.
  • More than 10,000 people benefited from water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH).
  • More than 100 children with disabilities benefited from education services.
  • Four attacks on education in the North-West and South-West.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The context in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions is characterized by continued violence against civilians and clashes between non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and State Security Forces (SSFs). This results in a fragile security situation with continuing hostilities, abductions for ransom, loss of life and property, roadblocks, extortion of money and valuables, and civilians caught in crossfire. The continued use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on main roads and in public places affected civilians and pose a risk to humanitarian workers. On 19 September, six people were seriously injured and one woman later died at a health care facility after an IED has exploded at the entrance to Nkwen Market in Bamenda 3 subdivision in the North-West.

During the reporting period, NSAGs imposed a lockdown from 9 to 23 September to disrupt the start of the 2024/2025 school year, which the Government announced would begin on 9 September. As a consequence, many children reportedly did not attend school the first week.

During the lockdown, abductions of students and school personnel was reported in some subdivisions in the NWSW. A government secondary school in the SW was set ablaze in the SW region on 10 September, and an improvised explosive device was planted at a government secondary school in the NW and on the same day. NSAG intercepted about 20 students on their way to school in the NW, confiscated and destroyed all their school materials, including books, and forced them to return home. Education-related activities remain highly sensitive, especially in September.

The long-imposed lockdown negatively impacted socio-economic activities of population and the humanitarian response, with most field activities suspended due to restrictions on the movement of people, including humanitarian workers, and goods, with exceptions for weekends.

Over 5,567 people (1,077 households) were reportedly displaced to nearby bushes, villages, and towns in the NWSW during the month. Manyu division in the SW and Mezam division in the NW were the most affected. Most of the displacements were pendular as civilians fled to safe areas during periods of clashes, violence or insecurity and returned to their homes when calm returned.