Cameroon has enjoyed peace and stability for several decades but today, six out of its ten regions are affected by insecurity or conflict. The Boko Haram insurgency operating in the border areas of the Far North Region is one of the world’s deadliest insurgent movements committing inhumane atrocities, killing and burning houses, adductions and hostage taking but claiming to be people committed to the propagation of the prophet’s teaching and Jihad. In the North West and South West Anglophone regions of Cameroon, complaints of marginalization under successive governments has planted the seeds of an armed conflict that has been going on since 2017. These conflicts and others constitute the root cause of hunger and poverty because thousands of people are internally displaced from their homes or escape abroad as refugees. In the current context of social and environmental emergency (hunger, poverty, climate change), all wars are contrary to the true interests and aspirations of the people.

RELUFA has therefore set the following objectives in its Peace Advocacy and Relief Program:

  • Promote dialogue as a means to prevent or end conflicts;
  • Ensure that internally displaced persons have basic necessities for coping with life;
  • Ensure the acquisition of skills for vulnerable people affected by conflict so that they can fend for themselves.

It’s within this context that RELUFA has in 2019 provided dry food and non-food items to IDPs affected by this crisis, with the financial support of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). This project targeted internally displaced persons and their host families and RELUFA conducted food distribution activities in various cities (Bamenda, Douala, Kumbo, Loum, Mbanga and Yaoundé) in synergy with our local partners.

In 2020, RELUFA has been able to serve internally displaced peoples from the Northwest and Southwest Regions through Food Distribution, Small Capital Grants and Job Skills Training for vulnerable people affected by the conflict.

Considering the fact COVID-19 further deteriorated the living conditions of internally displaced persons, RELUFA also provided some individual and collective hygiene items and protection kits to them in April 2021. Finally, RELUFA campaigns and advocates for dialogue as a way to end or prevent conflicts through the PCUSA international Peace Maker Program.