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When simmering disputes between herders, fishermen and famers over scarce water resources in Cameroon’s Far North region flared into violence last December, Tomma Ndjinda’s village was among those caught up in the deadly clashes.
“Our village was attacked, and we were forced to flee without having time to take anything with us,” she says.
Ndjinda headed south in search of safety together with her husband and seven children, ending up at the Ardjaniré displacement site in Bogo. The site currently hosts around half of the 4,200 people in this area who fled the worst intercommunal violence ever seen in Cameroon’s Far North.
But faced with a desperate shortage of food and other resources despite the generous welcome shown by the local community, Ndjinda’s husband went back to salvage what he could of their crops and possessions.
“My husband tried to return to our village to harvest sorghum in our fields. He arrived to find that all his belongings had been eaten by migratory bird. All our belongings were also destroyed,” she explained. Tragically, her husband didn’t make it back. Ndjinda believes that the shock of seeing the destruction of their home caused his sudden death.
Ndjinda, who is now left to care for seven children alone and has no income, is at a loss as to how she will survive. “We are running out of everything. I can’t take the children to the hospital if they get sick.
The climate crisis is exacerbating competition for water and other resources in this part of Africa’s Sahel region, where temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average. Water levels in Lake Chad have decreased by as much as 95 per cent in the past 60 years, and the effects are being felt by communities that rely on the Logone and Chari rivers that feed the lake on Cameroon’s far northern border.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner For Refugees, visited Cameroon for three days and concluded Friday. He met with Ndjinda, as well as other displaced families who were affected by the violence. They described to him the urgent needs they face.
Grandi stated that “beyond the efforts made by authorities and the generosity shown host communities, there are still needs for food, education, and health care.” “We have also heard concerns over pressure on local services, underlining the need to increase our support to both displaced families and members of the local community who are hosting them.”
UNHCR and its partners are working together to create safe displacement sites and provide life-saving aid such as water, shelter, and household items. The agency, along with the Cameroonian authorities has led conflict-resolution efforts to end violence.
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The High Commissioner visits pupils at a school in the Ardjaniré displacement site. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
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Filippo Grandi (centre-right) and Millicent Mutuli, Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (centre-left), meet one of the residents of Ardjaniré displacement site. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
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Grandi plants an oak tree as part a reforestation effort at the site that aims to combat desertification. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
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Internally displaced residents sit in the shade of one of the few remaining trees in the Ardjaniré site. © UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
“Identifying the causes of conflicts and addressing them would ensure peaceful cohabitation among communities,” Grandi said. “Reconciliation and reconstruction are key to pave the way for for voluntary and safe return of dispalced families.” He also demanded an assessment of the reconstruction needs in areas that have been affected by violence.
During his visit to Ardjaniré, the High Commissioner visited a reforestation project that will plant 2,000 trees to help address the desertification being exacerbated by the climate crisis and provide additional resources and income opportunities for displaced and local communities.
The project is part the Great Green WallInitiative that aims to build a barrier spanning 8,000 kilometres across continents to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought in Sahel.
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