Summary: Since July 2014, a large number of Nigerian refugees have been registered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cameroon, specifically in the Mayo Tsanaga Division of the Far North Region, where the Minawao camp is located. By July 2015, UNHCR reported about 57,376 refugees in the region with 44,889 hosted in the Minawao camp, while the remaining 12,487 are within the host communities.
This population movement of Nigerians is a result of attacks by armed groups in Nigeria. Similar attacks have been perpetrated in Cameroon in the Mayo Sava and Mayo Tsanaga Divisions, leading to more than 30,000 internally displaced people. These figures are constantly increasing following the continuous arrival of more refugees and IDPs at the Minawao camp and various localities of the region.
Substantial assistance has been provided to refugees and IDPs during the last few years and this situation has increased the operational capacities of various local and international NGOs, United Nations (UN) agencies and the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC) in this region.
It should be noted that initially designed to host a maximum of 20,000 people, the Minawao camp now hosts 44,889 people. This increased number of people in the camp has resulted in, WASH facilities (water supply facilities, latrines and showers) being overstretched. Access to water is below minimum standards with a gap of 386 m3, while the rate of construction of WASH facilities is far below the rate of increase of the population in the camp. There is also a shortage of wood for the construction of latrines and showers. The construction of the planned facilities in the camp will go a long way to improve hygiene and health conditions in the camp.