Abstract

This research analyses the challenges faced by Cameroonian refugee in the Ogoja (Adagom1 and Okende refugee settlements) in Nigeria. The lack of adequate protection for refugees have aggravated the problems of Cameroonians who fled to Nigeria since 2017 as a result of the Anglophone crisis to seek refuge.

This study investigates why Cameroonian Refuges in Ogoja are not given the rights they deserve as stated by International Humanitarian Law and receive special protection under the 4th Geneva Convention and protocol. The study makes use of qualitative approach and adopted the survey re-search design with questionnaires as a major data collection process.

The sur-vey research design is a common measurement tool through which participants provide information about themselves, their beliefs, attitudes, opinions, emotions, activities, etc. The theories of Hierarchy of Human Need, State Responsibility and Resilience were used in this work to explain the neglect of human needs and coping strategies.

The findings reveal that the numerous challenges faced by Cameroonian refugees in Ogoja, exacerbated gross humanitarian crisis in the camps. The study recommends that the UNHCR and other stakeholders including the host country should try as much as possible to provide adequate assistance to the refugees to curb the humanitarian crisis.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter comprises of the background to the study, statement of the problem, general and specific objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope and delimitation of this study, ethical issues and the organization of the study.

1.1Background of the Study

A report from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), ti-tled “Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2015,” states that, more than 65 mil-lion people around the world fled their homes due to war, persecution, violence and human rights violations. These figures were reduced after the establishment of UNHCR in 1950 with the African continent being the most affected. In late 2014, about 16 million people in Africa were either displaced or forced to flee to other countries.

This figure increased by 1.5 million in 20151. The refugee prob-lem grew slowly in the early 1960s and then took a traumatic end in the 1970s.2 The number in Africa increased rapidly during the last ten years and poses a prob-lem for the world today. In recent years, the refugee situation in Africa has in-creasingly assumed a disturbing dimension in terms of the number and composi-tion of persons involved, the causes and the limited success obtained this far in the search for a permanent solution.

The lack of adequate protection for refugees has further compounded their problems. In the African continent, the traditional African hospitality towards refugees is wanting in several parts of the continent. Genuine refugees have been rejected at borders and, and in some cases, this has resulted in immediate violent death.

The two most prominent refugee camps in Africa are the Dadaab refugee in Kenya and the Minawao camp in the Far North of Cameroon3. The Dadaab refugee com-plex has a population of 235,269 registered refugees and asylum seekers. At the end of January 2018 Dadaab refugee complex consists of four camps.

The first camp was established in 1991, when refugees fleeing the civil war in Somalia crossed the border into Kenya.4 A second large influx occurred in 2011, when some 130,000 refugees arrived. They were fleeing from drought and famine in Southern Somalia and these camps faced challenges such as poor communication or relationship between the refugees and local communities and capital generating activities among the refugees.

The Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon was first opened in Cameroon in July 2013; it housed 7,000 refugees who had fled Nigeria as a result of attack by Boko Haram insurgents. By May 2015, over 44,000 were living in the camp.

Cameroon as a signatory to both international (Geneva Convention 1951 and 1967) and continental (OAU) Conventions and Protocols on Refugees has hosted thousands of refugees and displaced persons from several countries. Cameroon‟s reputation as a generous country towards refugee‟s dates back to 1972 when it took in over 20,000 refugees from Equatorial Guinea, with tens of thousands arriving in 19735, by 1982, the country sheltered 200,000 refugees from Chad.

According to the UNHCR report, Cameroon has hosted approximately 50,000 refugees from countries such as Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo. In the early 2000s, about 230,000 refugees arrived Cameroon from CAR, bringing the total number of refugee- stojust fewer than 350,0006, including the 100,000 officially registered refugees from Nigeria.

In September 2016, president Paul Biya addressed the Leader‟s Summit on Refu-gees during the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, saying “Cameroon is a haven for people seeking safe refuge” and that his “government has taken measures to provide decent living conditions” for all 350,000 refugees of “different nationalities” in Cameroon and that Cameroon was “determined” to “Provide to persons in distress, dignified reception and living conditions.” Cameroon is one of the three countries sharing boundaries with Nigeria paying a heavy price for the eight-year-old Boko Haram insurgency in North Eastern Nige-ria. By 2014, Boko Haram had firmly established itself in the long neglected Far North Region of Cameroon, and then launched attacks on the Cameroonian military and civilian‟s 7.

The recurrent insurgency influenced the crossing of some13,000 Nigerian Refugees from Adamawa state into Cameroon in November 2014. But in 2017, the situation changed as Nigeria instead received thousands of refugees from Cameroon due to the deadly clashes that occurred between the „Non State Armed Groups and the Military Forces on 1st October 2017.

The Anglophone part of Cameroon account for two of its Ten Regions namely the North-West and South-West; which together represent 16,364 square kilometers over a total area of 475,442 square kilometers with approximately 8 million in-habitants out of a total Cameroonian population of an estimated 26 million. So far, the English speaking Cameroon plays an important role economically, thanks to the petroleum, agricultural and commercial revenue generated from the South West and North West regions. The politicization of the conflict and the radicaliza-tion of the protagonists have led to a series of events that are all harmful, leading to civil disobedience, ghosts cities, economic meltdown and armed insurgencies between separatists and government forces that have engendered the forced dis-placement of tens of thousands of refugees towards Nigeria and turned local in-habitants into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

Since October 20168, social upheavals against a backdrop of corporatist demands from English speaking lawyers and teachers degenerated into a full scale armed conflict in the English speaking Cameroon between armed separatists and the regular army. Although the Anglophone region of Cameroon has been pursuing self-determination and autonomy since 1970s when Cameroon moved from a form federation to a unitary state, the agitation reached new heights when on 1st October 2017 , the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC),unilaterally declared independence with the Anglophone activists called “Ambazonia Governing Council‟ of Southern Cameroon. Following this declaration, the government responded swiftly with the deployment of huge numbers of security forces into Anglophone areas of Cameroon and this led to deadly clashes between the Non State Arm Groups with the military forces which led to mass displacement of thousands of Anglophones Cameroonians. The majority of these displaced per-sons are now seeking refuge in Cross River, while others are found in Akwa-Ibom, Benue and Taraba States while others are Internally Displaced.

In spite of limited concessions made by the government towards resolving the cri-sis, worthy to underscore lately is the fact that tensions have escalated into full blown armed conflict characterized by road blocks, multiple sporadic attacks, kidnappings, and the burning down of more than 240 villages by government forces.

Arson attacks on more than 240 villages resulted into forced displacement, and more than 50,000 refugees towards Nigeria, creating more than 460,000 IDPs with 3.3 million in need of humanitarian assistance.

1.2 Statement of the Problem.

Since the influx of Cameroonian Refugees in Nigeria, there have been several re-ports from the UNHCR and other NGOs of some misconduct in the Ogoja refu-gee camp. Cameroonian refugees living in the camp faced severe socio-cultural and economic challenges.

Refugees have also complained of poor treatment and Socio-cultural exclusion from Nigerian citizen and the Nigerian government complained of grave security threat as a result of the influx of Cameroon refugees into the country.

Many Cameroonian Refugees have been tortured or otherwise abused10sexually and suffered from gross violation of human rights. This study contents that the Nigerian government‟s responsibility towards Cameroonian refugees has violated international agreements and conventions.

In addition, the most vulnerable are in need of immediate food and nutritional assistance include children, expectant mothers, nursing mothers, women, people living with disability and the aged, due to their vulnerability and their high risk of exposure to certain pathologies related with acute and chronic malnutrition such as slow growth, mental and physical incapacities, physical and mental stunting etc.

If the issue of food and nutrition is not handled among these groups in a time-ly manner, humanitarian interventions in other domains such as; education, and social integrations will be greatly be compromised.11Only five in every twenty Cameroonian refugee have proper or independent shelter. The rest have little or no privacy.

Malaria is reportedly on the increase. Children commonly exhibit rap-id breathing and coughing. Three quarter of the Cameroonian children who recently, fled to Ogoja currently cannot access school because their families cannot afford to pay for their books and uniforms.

Adults are also becoming more frustrated as they struggle to make ends meet hence causing high dependency rate. The research expresses worries over the high prevalence of humanitarian crises in Ogoja Refugee Camps whereas Minawao Refugee Camp in Cameroon with high population density recorded less humanitarian crises.

1.3The Objectives of the Study

The study was guided by the following objectives

1.3.1 General Objectives

The thesis seeks to outline the challenges faced by refugees in Ogoja and propose some recommendations which could be of help not only to refugee camps but to host Governments and UNHCR as well and make sure refugees benefit from some of the rights that are enshrined by the UNHCR charter.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives.

1. To investigate on reasons why Cameroonians were forced to flee from their homeland to Nigeria.
2. To investigate the challenges faced by the refugees in Ogoja refugee camps.
3. To examine reasons for the high prevalence of humanitarian crises in Ogoja Refugee Camps.
4. This study also seeks to examine measures that have been put in place to ameliorate conditions of refugee and provide recommendations.