Cameroon: Youth revolt against forgotten crises calls for help!

Cameroon: Youth revolt against forgotten crises calls for help!

In a recent report, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) highlights the humanitarian crisis in Cameroon, ranking the country as “the most overlooked” crisis area in the world. This assessment is based on an annual list documenting the most neglected humanitarian crises, with Cameroon now at the top. Burkina Faso has held the top spot for the past two years, but in the current ranking it is in fourth place, with Ethiopia and Mozambique following in second and third place. The NRC highlights that of the 10 countries listed, eight are in Africa, underscoring the ongoing challenges on the continent.

The criteria for this ranking relate to shortcomings in humanitarian aid, lack of media interest and a lack of political commitment from the international community. Cameroon has been struggling with three serious crises for over a decade: conflicts between armed groups, ongoing violence in the northwest and southwest regions and the crisis in the neighboring Central African Republic. This year, more than 1.1 million internally displaced people have been registered in the country, with nearly half a million in particularly vulnerable situations.

The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso

Parallel to the developments in Cameroon, the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso is also alarming. Here, the NRC recognized the need to respond quickly to the urgent needs for food, clean water and safe shelter. Repeated attacks by armed groups have forced around two million people to flee their homes. Access to education is being severely restricted by the closure of around a quarter of schools, putting over a million children at risk of development.

The population's living conditions have deteriorated greatly as infrastructure suffers significantly, leading to extreme hardship and hunger. These developments show how profoundly the current conflicts are affecting the societies in Burkina Faso and Cameroon and are putting people in acute emergencies.

Global neglect and media coverage

The NRC also criticizes the decreasing international solidarity with the crisis countries, while the political agenda is becoming increasingly nationalistic. According to a report by CARE, which examined media coverage of humanitarian crises, there were only 77,000 articles about humanitarian disasters in African countries in the first nine months of 2023. In comparison, there were 270,000 reports about the new iPhone and 215,000 about Prince Harry's biography. The discrepancy is alarming and raises questions about the media's priorities.

The managing director of CARE Austria, Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, makes it clear that neglecting these crises does not negate their existence. According to the latest statistics, 114 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian assistance, while many have been displaced from their homes. This silence about the conflicts must be broken in order to generate more attention and ultimately financial support for the affected regions.

Overall, it is clear that Cameroon and Burkina Faso have to overcome extreme humanitarian challenges, while observations from the international community and the media do not adequately address these relevant issues. The need for increased attention and support is more urgent than ever.