Cameroon

Cameroon is both a major host country to refugees from Nigeria in the Far North region and from the Central African Republic in the eastern regions. It is also increasingly a source of displacement, with a majority due to violence in the Northwest and Southwest anglophone regions.

Displacement Trends

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Definitions

EDPs: Refugees under UNHCR's mandate
IDPs: Internally displaced persons
Asylum seekers: People whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined
Stateless: People not considered as nationals by any State
HST: People living in Host Communities
OIP: Others in need of International Protection
OOC: Others of Concern

Source: UNHCR

See definitions here

Forecast

DRC forecasts are based on a machine learning tool that has been developed to predict forced displacement (IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers) at the national level 1-3 years into the future.

See all available forecasts here

Why we are there

DRC has worked in Cameroon since 2017 and responds to crises in four regions of the country.

In Adamawa and the East, refugees from the Central African Republic have lived in protracted displacement for years. They share scarce resources and services with host communities, and protection risks remain high. Since 2017, DRC has used a graduation approach with refugees and vulnerable Cameroonians to find durable solutions.

In the anglophone North-West and South-West regions, the armed separatist conflict that began in 2017 has displaced many people, exposing them to serious protection risks and leaving them without assistance. Since 2019, DRC and its local partners have supported internally displaced Cameroonians and their host communities with emergency protection, food security and livelihood opportunities.

In the Far North, armed violence and intercommunal conflict have displaced many Cameroonians. The region also hosts refugees from Nigeria and Chad, many of them in Minawao camp, where extreme poverty and aid dependence are widespread. DRC has been present since 2023, providing protection, governance and economic resilience response, including a graduation model in Minawao refugee camp.

What we do in Cameroon

Across all its areas of work, DRC works through equitable partnerships with local and national actors, combining complementary expertise, shared decision-making and mutual capacity strengthening. Locally led approaches are built into every stage of our programmes, so that systems remain in place after projects end.

Adamawa and East

Since 2023, DRC has led SOLID, a consortium of international organisations providing a comprehensive response to the Central African crisis on both sides of the Cameroon–CAR border. This work continues under SOLID 2 until 2029. It combines community-based protection, GBV prevention with peaceful conflict management, livelihoods, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and support to local governance. DRC also carries out cross-border advocacy with authorities in Cameroon and CAR on the rights and duties of refugees and returnees.

North-West and South-West

DRC first started in the South-West in 2019, where it worked with local civil society organisations to provide emergency protection, food security and livelihood support to internally displaced Cameroonians and their host communities.

Since 2025, DRC has focused its response on the North-West through a locally led Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). Run with Cameroonian partners, the ECHO -funded FLASH project brings rapid, multi-sectoral assistance to hard-to-reach, conflict-affected communities.

Far North

Since 2023, DRC has worked with communities and local actors to build peace and resilience. It strengthens local conflict management capacity, supports the economic integration of conflict-affected young people and women, and helps local governance contribute to stabilization

In Minawao camp, the BHA-funded RISE project uses a graduation approach to help refugees move out of extreme poverty and reduce their reliance on aid. It does this through food consumption support, market inclusion and access to financial services. As RISE ends in 2026, it will be followed by a new ECHO-funded ERC project focused on community-led, nature-based solutions for refugees in the camp.