Authorities from Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have begun discussions on restarting the voluntary repatriation of CAR refugees living in Cameroon.
At a tripartite meeting in Yaoundé on Tuesday, Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, said the parties were reviewing practical measures and challenges to ensure refugees return home voluntarily and safely.
More than 28,000 Central African refugees have returned home since the repatriation programme began in 2019, according to Cameroonian authorities. CAR’s Minister of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity and National Reconciliation, Josiane Lina Bemaka-Soui, said about 27,000 refugees are expected to be repatriated this year, beginning with those facing the most urgent needs.
The UNHCR estimates that Cameroon currently hosts about two million people of concern, including internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers and returnees, with many displaced by conflicts in the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Cameroon’s conflict-affected regions.