In a statement issued by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, the organisation said that Nigerian Refugees in Cameroonian camp has tripled in the past two months.
The statement read “Insecurity has been mounting in the border regions between the two countries amid repeated cross-border attacks into northern Cameroon by Boko Haram. As a result, many Nigerians fleeing the violence have sought refuge in Cameroon.
“The Minawao refugee camp, for instance, is hosting 16,282 refugees, with the population having nearly tripled in size in the past two months, according to UN estimates.
“The current camp capacity is estimated at 35,000 people and further expansions are underway to accommodate the refugees already registered for transfer from the border, as well as possible additional new arrivals.
“The vast majority of them are women and children. They told our teams that many families were forced to flee on foot, taking few belongings with them and walking tens of kilometres before finding safety in Cameroon.”
UNHCR also noted that despite the continued attacks, most of the recent 13,000 refugees in Cameroon had already returned to Nigeria, with Yola, Adamawa State capital, as their destination.
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