The U.S. Government Renews Commitment to Support Cameroon in Helping Refugees
Yaoundé, Cameroon — June 20, 2023. The United States joined the Cameroonian government and the international community to commemorate World Refugee Day 2023. The United States is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to refugees in Cameroon through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (USAID/BHA) and the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).
In 2023, the U.S. government has provided more than 37 billion Francs CFA ($62,824,400) to assist refugees in Cameroon, both in and out of camps, Internally Displaced Persons, and host communities, strengthening their resilience, self-reliance, and socio-economic inclusion.
On February 14, 2023, U.S. Ambassador Christopher J. Lamora visited the Minawao camp in the Far North Region of Cameroon which is home to more than 70,000 Nigerian refugees fleeing violence from Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa. The U.S. government through USAID/BHA and PRM provides shelter, food assistance, healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and psychosocial support, among other services, to refugees and host communities.
The programs also provide vouchers and cash for purchasing food from local markets, supporting the local economy. Ambassador Lamora also met with communities affected by the flooding that caused more than 320,000 people to flee their homes in the Far North Region between August and November 2022.
On June 8, a U.S. government-funded food shipment containing 11,210 Metric Tons of rice (3,710 MT for Cameroonians and 7,500 MT for Central Africans refugees) was offloaded at the Douala Port.
The United States is committed to working with the international community and the government of Cameroon to improve the living conditions of the world’s most vulnerable individuals and encourages host countries to provide durable solutions for refugees so that they can feel “home away from home”.
For more information on USAID’s activities in Cameroon, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/cameroon