Population figures
Total country population
29,394,433
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
484,195
Asylum-seekers:
11,596
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
1,036,775
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
0
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
13,800
Country context
Cameroon is situated in Central Africa, sharing borders with Nigeria to the west, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south, while its southwestern coastline lies on the Gulf of Guinea. The protection of refugees in Cameroon is governed by Law No. 2005/006 of 27 July 2005, which establishes the criteria for recognition and rights of refugees, and by Decree No. 2011/389 of 29 November 2011, which organizes the national structures responsible for status determination and oversight.
Cameroon plays a significant role as a host country for refugees, primarily from neighboring regions affected by conflict, including the Central African Republic (CAR) and Nigeria. The country is facing ongoing challenges, particularly in its Northwest and Southwest regions, where conflict between government forces and non-state armed groups persists. Additionally, climate change has exacerbated the situation, contributing to flooding, rising temperatures, and an increasing number of displaced persons.
...As of August 2024, Cameroon is home to over 2 million forcibly displaced individuals, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and returnees. Many of the refugees, particularly from Nigeria and CAR, have been residing in the country for over a decade.. These populations are dispersed across urban and rural areas, with varying levels of access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and employment. While some refugees have access to primary healthcare, they often face challenges such as the need for upfront payment. Access to education has improved for some refugee children, but barriers related to language and registration persist.
Cameroon ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (the Kampala Convention) on 6 April 2015, depositing its instrument on 24 May 2017.
Statelessness is addressed through commitments made during a 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness, where Cameroon pledged to study accession to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, develop a national action plan, integrate statelessness into public administration training, regularize the civil status of individuals without birth certificates and commission a risk study.
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