By Jaff Bamenjo
Coordinator RELUFA
Armed conflict is a precursor of hunger, poverty and internal displacement. In Recent years, Cameroon has witnessed an unfortunate rise in conflict situations in some parts of the country resulting in widespread internal displacement particularly with the Boko Haram insurgency and the security crisis in the North Nest and South West Anglophone regions of the country. In 2014, Boko Haram, an Islamic sect operating from northern Nigeria started making incursions in to border villages in the Far North Region of Cameroon, looting, killing or kidnapping of civilians and burning food reserves and houses. Their modus operandi includes guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings, massacres, hostage-taking etc. This has resulted in thousands of killings and forced displacements of the population. With Boko Haram incursions in to Cameroon, women and girls are particularly at risk for abduction, rape and sexual exploitation.
In 2016, complaints by teachers and lawyers in the North West and South English-speaking Regions of Cameroon of their marginalization within the Republic of Cameroon gradually morphed in to an armed conflict in 2017 following the brutal response from government to the peaceful protests. The origin of the perceived marginalization of the English-speaking minority in Cameroon, lies in the history of the country which was governed by France and England first Mandated Territories under the League of Nations and later as Trust Territories under the United Nations. Consequently, a bicultural country emerged with 80% of Cameroonians being French speaking and 20% English speaking. In 1960, the French section, got independence while the English-speaking section went through a plebiscite in 1961 under the United Nations with two options for independence: Either joining the independent Republic of Cameroon (French speaking) or the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anglophone Cameroon voted to join independent French Republic of Cameroon. But they forgot that the period of administration by France and England had made Cameroonians acquire two different cultures. Unfortunately, cohabitation of the two entities has been poorly managed with the Anglophone minority feeling marginalized.
From initial peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers in 2016, radical elements took advantage and called for outright separation and independence from the Republic of Cameroon in 2017 following the government’s brutal response to the peaceful protests. This crisis has escalated in to an armed conflict since 2017 and have led to thousands of internally displaced persons seeking safety in other regions and towns all over Cameroon and in other countries around the world.
Girls Bearing a huge burden in the crisis
Over 700.000 people have fled from the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon to other cities within Cameroon or other countries including Nigeria, United States of America etc. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) especially girls have been enduring the burden of the Anglophone Crisis in the cities of Douala and Yaounde, and other smaller cities within Cameroon.
What is often left out and unseen, yet which is a devasting part of an armed struggle is the collateral damage and unintended results. RELUFA from the onset has been monitoring this security crisis, advocating for a peaceful resolution and providing humanitarian relief for those affected. Families cannot meet basic needs and some young girls who have abandoned school and escaped from their villages in the crisis zone engage into prostitution for survival. Based on a series of interviews conducted by RELUFA in July of 2019 in Douala and Yaounde, it can be argued that girls and women in general have suffered disproportionately.
The example of Lucia and Nadege are quite telling and reflects similar ordeals that internally displaced young girls from crisis affected regions go through. Two young ladies Lucia and Nadege, in their early twenties, fled the crisis from the North West region in 2019 and took refuge in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. Escaping the violence, each girl found herself turning to prostitution for survival. Lucia was separated from her family, left her mother behind in the village, and was unable to finish her last two years of university because of insecurity. She was living with other Anglophone friends in Douala and life has never been easy for them due to lack of food, housing difficulties, and other challenges like securing a job. On the other hand, Nadege had already completed her degree, worked at a call box, and enrolled in a computer program in Bamenda. When the crisis escalated, she had to stop her computer program and her call box business. Her family house was burned in February of 2019 and she also lost her brother to the violence. Because her family could not afford accommodations, Nadege does not live with her siblings. Instead, she lives with a friend. As a result of these hardships, they both turned to prostitution to survive.
Even though “collateral damage” is not always a visible part in a challenging situation like the crisis in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, one of its very real consequences is young girls and women being pushed into prostitution due to poverty and hunger. They are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence as well as sexually transmitted diseases and infections. These women struggle psychologically and socially to assert themselves into a new social space. This is why it is important to provide support to internally displaced persons to enable them cope, survive and obtain some semblance of stability.
EDUCATION COMPROMISED
Since 2017, the education sector has been severely affected in the conflict zones. Separatists ordered a school boycott while some schools have been burnt down, many teachers have been threatened and are still being threatened or kidnapped for ransom. Most of them have abandoned the conflict area as well. UNICEF in 2022 estimated that almost 700.000 children are out of school especially in the remote areas. Due to the separatists enforced school boycott, children in the two regions are largely out of school with students and school authorities sometimes kidnapped as a deterrent. In as much as school boycott is counter-productive since it undermines the future of thousands of children in the two regions, the current security situation with the deployment of the military does not necessarily provide a conducive environment for education. Prior to October 2016, more than 6,000 schools were operational in the North West and South West Regions but currently less than 200 schools are operational and mostly in the urban centers.
RELUFA has been documenting the testimonies of school children affected by the security Crisis. Kelly Divine aged 17 years was born in Esu, a small village located in the Menchum division of the North West region of Cameroon. Kelly now lives in the city of Douala where he has sought refuge. Divine has always dreamt of acquiring good education to be a responsible person in society and help his parents who had no opportunity to attend school like him. But his dreams are being shattered now that he is out of school. Kelly Divine used to be a hard-working child helping his parents to cultivate cocoa during vacation so that they could generate resources to pay his school fees. Today, things are so difficult for both Kelly and his family who have lost everything in the village and have fled to the city of Douala where they have nothing to do to generate an income. In Douala, Kelly Divine has not been able to go back to school because there is no body to assist him.
Killing education is obviously killing a nation and that is the dilemma currently with children from the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon. It is our greatest wish and resolve that children should obtain an education just as we did at the time with no bullets flying over. These bullets do not discriminate who it kills.
RELUFA HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
RELUFA has initiated a program to focus on Peace Advocacy and Humanitarian Relief. This is largely spurred by the unfolding security situation in the country and its consequences on thousands of internally displaced persons. Although the mission of RELUFA since its inception has always been to fight the root causes of hunger and poverty through policy advocacy, we came to the conclusion that providing humanitarian relief to people in distress is a good thing. That is why RELUFA with support from some of its partners, has been working to provide humanitarian relief and support education for some people affected by the security crisis in Cameroon. As from January 2026, RELUFA with support from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance of PCUSA, has framed a project to alleviate their suffering, and maintain human dignity for persons affected by the security crisis in Cameroon. This project essentially seeks to provide assistance and strengthen resilience in crisis affected communities and internally displaced persons.
Through this project RELUFA will contribute in ensuring educational support and physical access to food and basic necessities based on need to the internally displaced persons. Support to improve local agricultural production for both internally displaced persons and host communities secure access to agricultural inputs (seeds, organic fertilizer, basic farm tools) is also envisaged.
Conclusion
Conflict destroys the social fabric of the society and makes life difficult for those affected. As a civil society organization, RELUFA engages in peace advocacy to avert conflict which is the root cause of hunger and poverty in many communities. As seen from the security crisis in the North West, South West and Far North Regions of Cameroon, education which is a human right have been greatly compromised. RELUFA with support from its partners intend to accompany those affected in contributing to provide food and basic necessities while supporting education for young girls. Under current circumstances, silence and passivity cannot be a choice as we keep on fighting for social justice.
