4, June 2024
Southern Cameroons Rebellion: A major and forgotten crisis 0
In its report on the world’s most neglected crises, the Norwegian Refugee Council highlighted Cameroon, a country struck by two conflicts that barely make the headlines.
The major crises dividing Cameroon remain largely unnoticed on the international agenda, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) noted in its June 3 report. Almost no one mentioned the war or the Lake Chad crisis impacting the two Anglophone regions since 2017.
Anglophone rebellion
The conflict in the Northwest and Southwest Anglophone provinces began in 2017 following a crackdown by security forces on the 2016 protests, which demanded an end to the marginalization of Anglophones in this predominantly French-speaking country. In response to the military and police brutality, an Anglophone independence movement took up arms and attacked government representatives. This led to the military’s mobilization and intervention in the two provinces. Since then, violence has continued between both sides, with each committing atrocities and holding the population hostage.
Schools especially targeted
The Anglophone crisis has claimed over 6,000 lives since 2016, according to Human Rights Watch. The crisis has displaced 638,000 people within the country. Schools are a particular target for the separatists: 2,245 schools, or 36% of the educational institutions in the anglophone region, have been forced to close. The NRC noted that residents suffer terrible hardships, ranging from murder to kidnapping.
Cameroon is grappling with deteriorating security in its northern region bordering Nigeria and Chad. Since 2013, the area has been disrupted by attacks from the Nigerian-based jihadist group Boko Haram. The group’s presence was bolstered by the Cameroonian government’s inability to secure its borders with Nigeria and Chad and its failure to develop the region increasingly affected by climate change, leading to youth unemployment and poverty.
Impact of the crisis in the Central African Republic
Cameroon has also been dealing with the influx of refugees fleeing neighboring countries, primarily the Central African Republic. According to the UNHCR, there are 332,000 refugees, mostly settled in towns and villages in eastern Cameroon. Additionally, nearly 120,000 Nigerian refugees are living in the Far North region. “52% of the refugees are women and girls, and 55% are children,” the UNHCR reported.
“The prolonged crisis is increasingly taking on a socio-economic dimension, with all sectors of the economy affected and rising food prices exacerbating rampant food insecurity. At least 2.5 million people are dangerously short of food,” the NRC observed, noting that only “32% of the humanitarian response plan was covered by international donors, the lowest rate since 2016.” The NRC concluded: “The growing levels of unmet needs, coupled with a lethargic response from the international community, mean that another difficult year awaits Cameroon in 2024.”
Each year, the NRC publishes a report on the ten most neglected crises affecting displaced people worldwide. It aims to highlight the plight of the displaced who rarely make international headlines, receive little or no aid, and are ignored by international diplomacy.
Culled from Crux International by Besong Eunice Nchong
4, June 2024
Yaoundé: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement with Cameroon on the First Review of Resilience 0
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, led by Ms. Cemile Sancak, Mission Chief for Cameroon, visited Yaoundé during April 25-May 8 and held virtual meetings during May 9-31 to discuss progress on reforms and the authorities’ policy priorities in the context of the sixth reviews of the four-year program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangements, and the first review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The ECF/EFF arrangements were approved by the IMF Executive Board for a total amount of SDR 483 million (US$ 689.5 million) in July 2021 (see press release 21/237). An extension of these arrangements of 12 months was approved in December 2023 to allow more time to implement the policies and reforms, and access was augmented by SDR 110.4 million (US$ 147.6 million, see press release 23/469). The 18-month RSF was approved by the Executive Board in January 2024 in the amount of SDR 138 million (US$ 183.4 million, see press release 24/30).
At the conclusion of the discussions, Ms. Sancak issued the following statement:
“The IMF and the Cameroonian authorities have reached staff-level agreement on the sixth reviews of the ECF/EFF arrangements, and the first review of the RSF arrangement. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, with Board consideration expected in late June. Completion of the reviews would enable disbursement under the ECF/EFF arrangements of SDR 55.2 million (US$ 73.0 million), and disbursement under the RSF arrangement of SDR 34.5 million (US$ 45.6 million).
“Preliminary data indicate that Cameroon’s post-COVID-19 recovery continued last year, with overall growth of 3.3 percent. This is lower than the 3.6 percent realized in 2022 and the previous growth forecast of 4 percent in 2023 due to a combination of external and internal factors, including supply chain and energy disruptions and a contraction in domestic oil production. Inflation subsided from 7.3 percent at the end 2022 to 5.9 percent at end 2023.
“Headline fiscal developments were broadly in line with program objectives. The non-oil primary deficit improved to 2.6 percent of GDP in 2023 (from 3.9 percent in 2022). The consolidation effort was supported by a strong non-oil revenue and the government’s efforts to reduce costly fuel subsidies. However, effective public financial management remains a persistent challenge, with substantial extra-budgetary expenditure in 2023. This translated in overruns on current spending, and the non-oil primary deficit target under the program was missed by a small margin. The current spending overrun also constrained resources for priority, pro-growth investment, underlining the need to redouble efforts to strengthen budget integrity and execution. The authorities intend to introduce a revised 2024 budget to limit expenditures executed through treasury advances and adopt a plan to clear domestic arrears, among others. There was a minor breach of the ceiling on the accumulation of new external payment arrears.
“Prospects remain favorable provided continued reform and a supportive external environment. Economic growth is now expected to increase to around 4 percent in 2024. The decline in inflation will be gradual given the impact of the second pump price increase early in 2024, and it will reach 5.5 percent by year end. The authorities are preparing a revised budget for 2024 and have expressed their continued commitment to maintaining macroeconomic stability and to further reducing the non-oil primary fiscal deficit to 2 percent of GDP in 2024.
“The authorities are making good progress on their structural reform agenda. Meeting the ambitious objectives of the national development strategy for 2020-30 (SND30) will require stepping up these efforts, especially those that would create fiscal space for infrastructure investment while maintaining debt sustainability. Reforms to support a deep structural transformation of the economy also need to be accelerated, including to improve the business climate for the private sector. The mission encouraged the authorities’ efforts to strengthen the performance and financial management of public enterprises, complete technical studies related to the restructuring of SONARA, and strengthen the anti-corruption framework.
“The authorities recognize the need to strengthen Cameroon’s resilience to climate change. Under the RSF, the government has intensified its efforts to improve the climate policy framework. Work is well advanced on the initial reform measures that entail adoption of an order establishing the institutional framework for the coordination of the climate agenda, and publication of a project selection procedure manual that integrates criteria relating to climate change. Work is ongoing on a series of important reform measures, including a national climate plan, a national strategy for disaster risk financing, climate-related public investment management, and in the governance and sustainability of the forestry sector.
“The IMF team met with the Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, the Minister and Secretary General of the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, the National Director of the BEAC, Emmanuel Nkoa Ayissi, and other senior officials. The mission also met with representatives of development partners, the diplomatic community, the private sector, and civil society. The team wishes to thank the Cameroonian authorities for their excellent cooperation.”
Reported by the IMF Communications Department