The Ad hoc Committee to manage refugee emergency situations launched activities last Friday.
The Inter-ministerial Ad hoc Committee to manage emergency situations concerning refugees in Cameroon created by President Paul Biya on March 13, 2014 officially launched its activities on Friday, March 2014 with the first meeting to draw up a plan of action.
The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Rene Emmanuel Sadi chairman of the Ad hoc Committee in his opening address stated that an enlarged meeting including development partners will hold in the coming week. He also announced sub-committees at the level of Regions and Divisions to be headed by the competent administrative authorities with the mission to ensure an effective management of the refugee situation to furnish the committee with pertinent data and information. The Minister said he had already contacted the administrative authorities to draw up an exhaustive situation in their respective administrative units and forward for the general situation to be consolidated at the national level. The Ad hoc Committee is required to meet weekly.
President Paul Biya created the Ad hoc Committee as a response to the massive influx of refugees and displaced people escaping from the sectarian fighting in the Central African Republic as well as those escaping from the armed fighting between Boko Haram and army of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Statistics on the refugee situation in the country put the total number at above 110,000. The East Region alone harbours 82,080 refugees and Adamawa Region comes second with 9,715 refugees, a majority of them from the Central African Republic. The Inter–ministerial Ad hoc Committee therefore has the mission to examine the humanitarian, socio-economic and security challenges caused by the refugees so as to propose adequate remedial measures to the government. The Committee also has to serve as a consultation forum between the government and international institutions on the harmonious way of managing the situation and finally has to propose other useful measures within the framework of tackling the emergency refugee situation in the country.
