Mbuli Rene (MPA Emergency and Disaster Management, MA & BA International Relations)
*This paper was initially submitted and accepted for presentation at the World Conference of Humanitarian Studies in February 2009 in Groningen(The Netherlands).
Introduction
The phenomenon of refugees and displaced persons has been a part and parcel of humankind’s history from time immemorial. Conflicts, natural or man-made disasters as well as persecutions of political, socio-cultural and religious order have been the major causes of human movements within and across boundaries. Since the end of the coldwar and the new world order with monopoly replacing bipolarity, the number of refugees and displaced persons have increased at exponential rate due primarily to the changes in the security trend. The African continent has witnessed more of intrastate violence inthepost Cold war periodthan the classical interstate conflicts and the civilian faction has been themost affected group duringsuch events. The trend is continuously validated each time there is an outbreak ofviolence, with scores of vulnerable persons moving towards politically calm and peaceful countries to seek refuge. The central Africa region commonly described as a “hotbed” of fratricidal tensions, has been the breeding ground of the most uncontrollable refugee catastrophes in the continent more than any other region. Failed states, dictatorship, mismanagement and unequal distribution of funds, social injustice, intense desire for democratic succession and power sharing,thesmall arms and lights weapons proliferation across porous borders inter alia; are some of the reasons behind the persistence of “newconflicts” in the region. Cameroon, a state within the region, has enjoyed “relative” peace during the most part of its post independence period, thereby making it a major pole of attraction for refugees and displaced persons circulating in the region.
These movements towards Cameroon’s periphery and mainland have provoked unhappy feelings both from the government of Cameroonand the local host communities. The socio economic and political problems that have accompanied refugee outflows and displacements though not unique to Cameroonalone as a host country, begs for an evaluation or re-evaluation of the pros and cons of refugee movements and settlement in general. Against this backdrop, the paper will endeavor to provide some answers related to the challenges of displacement to refugees and the host government and communities. The paper will single out the socio-economic difficulties faced by refugees in integrating the Cameroonsociety. It will ricochet and laude the multi-dimensional contributions made by refugees both skilled and unskilled to the Camerooneconomy; and advocates for greater attention, resources allocation and the socio-economic and political integration of refugees in the Cameroon societies. The rationalebehind this paper is that, refugeesand displaced persons are not just a burden orsource of insecurity and instability as popularopinion holds. The paper holds that, if refugees are well managed, they could bring plausible socio-economic and political contribution to their host country.
Conceptual framework
Withinthis research, principal concepts used include the followings: Crises (Humanitarian) and Refugee.
Crisis
The term crisis has been defined as an event or series of events which represent acritical threat to the health, safety or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area.1 This paper defines it as a situation of social anarchy and suffering marked by depreciation in the standard of living to the point of threatening human life and wellbeingin a given environment. The common determinant of a humanitarian crisis in thecontext of this paper would be the presence of refugees and displaced persons.
Refugee
The convention relating to the status of Refugees (1951) under article 1b defines a refugee as:
“anyperson who, owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion is outside of thecountry of his/her nationality and is unable or owing to such fear is unwilling to avail the protection of that country.” 2
In 1969 the Organization of African Unity (OAU) adopted a convention which defined the term refugee by pushing it beyond the boundaries of the 1951 convention and the 1967 protocol on refugees. It coined the definition to fit the context of the African reality. In article 1 of the convention, a refugeeis defined as:
“every person who, owing to external aggression, occupation foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order in either part or the whole of his country of origin or nationality, is compelled to leave his place of habitual residence in order to seek refuge in another place outside his country of origin or nationality”.3
All persons under such conditions have the full rights to seek refuge in any other politically stable country while waiting for situations in their home countries to get better. There is therefore a major difference between a refugee and a migrant. Normal migrants move across boundaries “voluntary” in search of better economic standard; meanwhile refugees are forced to move because of threat to their life.
An Overview of Cameroon
Therepublic of Cameroon is situated in the central Africa region.4
Cameroonis commonly known as Africa in miniaturebecauseof hercultural and geographical diversity. The political history of Cameroon like manyothers African countries was markedby bloody struggles for independence. This was one of the toughest and most fierce moments of her history. The Union des populations duCameroun (UPC) a political party led by its charismatic leader Ruben Um Nyobe waged a hostile resistance to French colonialism and advocated immediate independence for Cameroon. The party expressedits disgruntlement through a series of violent riots and killings which became known as the “Maquis”. Thousands of Cameroonians lost their lives during the period of the UPC “Maquis” which began in the early 1950sand dragged on until January 1971 after the arrest and execution of UPC’s last surviving leader Ernest Ouandie. In 1960, political talks of self determination led to the independence of the French Cameroons; meanwhile the Southern Cameroons (British part of Cameroon) remained under British Trusteeship until 1961 when it voted to join the French Cameroon in a federation, forming theFederal Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon only became the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 following constitutional changes .5 The violencethat marked Cameroon‘s independence helped to shape the political attitudes of many Cameroonians. The craving for post-independence stability was a gradual construct which materialized overtime. Despite the few diplomatic differences which Cameroon had with some of its neighbors like Nigeria over the Bakassi peninsular or with Equatorial Guinea over the island at the mouth of the Ntem river; Cameroon still managed to remained politically and socially stable. The perceptible peace that prevails in Cameroon has been a pull factor for many African refugees fleeing wars and violence in their countries. The peace commodity has made Cameroon to rank as number one place of refuge for many refugees and displaced persons from the wider central African ECCAS region 6. Although this may sound flattening on the one hand, the massive influx of refugees has become an issue of concern for the local host population in particular and the Cameroongovernment in general.
Some Statistics on Refugees in Cameroon
Intrastate conflicts in Africa have caused massive and uncountable numbers of refugees and displaced persons in the central Africa region. Cameroon, an adherentto bothinternational (Geneva1951 and 1967) and continental (OAU) conventions and protocols on refugees has been a hospitable host to thousands ofrefugees and displaced persons from across the continent.
Cameron has hosted approximately 60,000 refugees from different countries suchas the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Liberia and Nigeria. Chadian refugees are the highest refugee group whose number rose from circa 200,000 during the violence of May 1980 to circa 40,000 persons in 1990(Nkonlack,2003:15).7 According to statistics from the CIA World Fact book of 2007, there were between 20 to 30,000 Chadian refugees livingon the Cameroon soil. 8 Even though a few thousands of Chadian refugees had returned home when the conflict subsided, recent clashes between the rebelsand government troops of Idriss Deby in February2008 saw a record high influx of more than 58,000 refugees fleeingfrom N’djamena into neighboring Kousseri, 9 with over30,000 living without shelter. Today the majority of the Chadian refugees have been moved from Kousseri and resettled in areas like Maltam and Mandana (all towns in north Cameroon). According to a UNHCR press release on 14 February2008, there were onlyabout 5,000 refugees left in Kousseri region. 10 Jacques Franquin, the Representative of UNHCR in Cameroon revealed that Nigerianswho fled ethnic clashes since 2001 and settled in the Adamawa and north west11 regions of Cameroon numbered close to 17,000. Many however left in April 2005 following the joint Cameroon /Nigeria /UNHCR voluntary repatriation of 10,000 Nigerians.12 By 2007, there were only about 3,000Nigerian refugees left after the repatriation efforts were complete. Refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR), mainly nomads (“mbororos”) who had fled from their country since 2005 were approximately 26,000 in number.13 However, their number reduced drastically with the return of peace in CAR. The majority of those who chose to remain settled predominantly around Kenzou, Bertoua, Garoua Boulai and Batouri.
A 2005 statistics of refugees living in the urban areas of Cameroon showed that close to10,000 refugees livedin the capital city Yaoundé and 5, 000 lived in the economic capital Douala (Tadjon, 2003).14 Today, the number of refugees living in the urban areashas risen to a record 15, 318; due to the search for job opportunities and the desire to reunite with extended families living in the big cities.
According to aDecember 2008 statistics obtained from the UNHCR Cameroon office, there was in total 82, 776 refugees and 2, 759 asylum seekers in Cameroon; with 62,919 settled in the Eastern and Adamawa regions, along the CAR border.In addition, while 2,871 Nigerian refugees settled inthe Banyo area (Adamawa region); 4,236 new Chadian refugees fled into the Northern region of Cameroon15 after the violence of February 2008 in Chad.
There is from the statistics of persons of concern to UNHCR inurban areas in Cameroon on table I below, it can be deduced that the majority of refugees have hailedfrom the Central African region with Chad Republictoping the charts. This isexplained mainly by the persistent domestic violence that has trapped the region since the end of theCold war. The recurrence of violence in Chad, DR Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR) particularlyhold this analysis true. The highinflux towards Cameroon has been almost spontaneous and natural because of the peace and stability in Cameroon and also because she is a neighboring state. Analytically, the increase in the numbersfrom 60 000 refugees in the 1980s and 90s to 82,776 in 2008 reveals the presence of a serious and growing domestic insecurity problemin the Central African region.
TABLE 1:
STATISTICS OF PERSONS OF CONCERN TO UNHCR PRESENT IN THEURBAN AREAS OF CAMEROON
|
ORIGIN |
REGUFEES |
ASYLUM SEEKERS |
TOTAL BY ORIGIN: |
| CHAD | 6 234 | 1 196 | 7 430 |
| CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) | 3 516 | 905 | 4 421 |
| RWANDA | 1 381 | 117 | 1 498 |
| DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) | 680 | 234 | 914 |
| BURUNDI | 259 | 2 | 261 |
| CONGO BRAZZAVILLE | 150 | 12 | 162 |
| LIBERIA | 86 | 13 | 99 |
| SUDAN | 79 | 9 | 88 |
| IVORY COAST | 52 | 139 | 191 |
| EQUATORIAL GUINEA | 36 | 3 | 39 |
| TOGO | 17 | 11 | 28 |
| ANGOLA | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| SIERRA LEONE | 16 | 6 | 22 |
| GABON | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| CAMBODIA | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| UGANDA | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| MAURITANIA | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| GHANA | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| NIGERIA | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| OTHER
NATIONALITIES | 7 | 106 | 113 |
| TOTAL | 12 559 | 2 759 | 15 318 |
Source: December 2008 UNHCR refugee statistic report
Historicizing theChallenges of Refugee Influx on Cameroon
The Central African region has known moments of turmoil, civil wars and strife. Since theend of the Cold War, there has been growing global shift from the state to the human agenda. Many African statesmen havebeen called upon to pay considerable attention to the security of individuals and persons, beit nationals or foreigners, living within their national frontiers.
Cameroonhas always demonstrated great hospitality towards refugees and displaced persons fleeing from wars and violence. Though refugees have generally been victims of different forms of illicit activities such as rape, coercion, intimidation, the recruitment of children into rebel militia, and the kidnapping of young girls from camps for forced marriage or sexual slavery; they are almost unanimously considered wrongfully by many nationals of the host countries as a threat to the security (political and socio- economic) of the country. Sometimes, these fears and caution are well justified by anecdotal events that have occurred in the past involving refugees, the local population and the government. Cameroonbeing a host country itself has had its own share of experiences as elaborated below.
Rebellion and Destabilizing Activities
History has shown that during an emergency, it is not all who rush the borders of a neutral country in search of safety and refuge is a “persons in distress”. In some, if not most cases of intra-state conflicts, armed militia-men often manage to trick their ways into foreign countries under the refugee cover only to later on transform into real trouble-makers.
Cameroon’s national security was threatened in theperiod following the Rwanda genocide of 1994 when some Hutu “genocidaires” managed to escape and obtain refuge in Cameroon. After serioussearch attempts and alerts sent out by the Rwandan Tribunal in Arusha; Bicamumpaka Clément Jérome (ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mugiraneza Prosper (ex-Minister of Public Works and Professional Development) and Mugenzi Justin (ex-Minister of Commerce) were arrested by the Cameroongovernment and kept in arbitrary detention at a criminal brigade in Yaounde before being sent to the International Penal Tribunalfor Rwanda in Arusha for judgment (Amayena, 1999)16. Recalling the violence that was exported into the DRC by Hutu interahamwé refugees after the genocide, any right thinking onlooker will be quick to conclude that the presence of thethree high profile genocide perpetrators on Cameroonsoil constituted a serious factor of destabilization and a threat toCameroon’s national security.
Strained Diplomatic Relationship
Cameroonhas seen her relations with some neighboring countries frozen due to the activities of rebels disguised under the guise of refugees. Cameroon and her neighbor Equatorial Guineahave had to experience a moment of diplomatic conundrum as a result of illicit actions by some refugees.
The dictatorial rule of Macias Nugema in Equatorial Guinea in the late 1960sand early 1970s led to the mass migration of over 30,000 Equatorial Guineans into Cameroon. Amongst those who fledpersecution from their country into Cameroon were rebel forces that penetrated the country with their weapons unperceived. The porosity of the borders in the Central African region aided the rebels in the process. Upon entering Cameroon, the rebels from the two principal opposition parties MOLIFUGE and OLGE17 transformed Camerooninto a ground for launching counter attacks against President Nguema’s regime from 1975 to 1977. From their base in Cameroon, they attacked areas like Afangui and Ntumadzap in Equatorial Guinea (Koufan and Tchudjing, 2001)18. The activities of these rebels had serious diplomatic effects, straining the relationship between Cameroon andEquatorial Guinea. Despite efforts by the Cameroongovernment of stop the attacks by expulsing recalcitrant refugees back to Equatorial Guinea, the government of Equatorial Guinea continuously accused Cameroon of supporting the subversion. Relations only normalized with the complete expulsion of identified recalcitrant and dangerous elements from the refugee population in Cameroon.
Demographic and Socio-economic Challenges
Human insecurity has also been noted as an impact of presence Cameroon. During the Chadian refugee influx of 1980,the population in Kousseri increased from 10,000 to an approximate 200 to 230, 000 inhabitants. In other words, the refugee population in Kousseri alone that area aloneexceeded 200 000 people (Bandolo, 1980)19. Faced with the increasing number of refugees crossingthe River Chari into Cameroon, Samuel Eboa, the then Secretary of state at the presidency and head of the National Rescue Committee for refugees, was forced to raise complaints about the insufficiencies in the aid packages and requested foreign donors andother international bodies to increase their support to the government.
Health wise, there was an increase in epidemic diseases, measles, cholera and typhoid fever in the region and a great shortage in vaccines and medicines. Hospitals were packed tocapacity and the local inhabitants of Kousseri became affected by different epidemic diseases originating from the refugee camps (Ndembiyembe, 1980)20. A similar such situation repeated itself during the February 2008 refugee influx in the North.
Access to food was a huge challenge both for the local population of the North and the refugees. There was increased competition over thescarce resources – food, water, land. This dire situation raised the level of hunger and poverty in the Kousseri area , meanwhile the prices of basic commodities such as rice, sugar, millet, corn fish, and meat which initially were easily purchased became very scarce and costly. This situation sparked tension between the two groups, making it difficult to peacefully cohabit.
Criminality and Trans-border Insecurity
Cameroonians living in the Northern region of Cameroonhave been direct victims to the conflict in Chad. During the fighting in the 1980s, stray bullets and bomb shells landed at the Kousseri hospital from N’djamena, killing 4 persons , wounding 8 and leaving behind a trail of immeasurable material damages (Bandolo, 1980)21.
There were also reported cases of banditry and refugee aggression on the local population and the police. Some of the most agitating moments occurred during the process of food distribution in the camps. With the rise in criminal acts, the government was forced to beef up its police presence in the stations in Kousseri and deploy a few armed soldiers to the region in order to contain any act of subversion. An example in point was in February 2008 when refugees in Kousseri staged a violent strike action. They verbally and physically molested UNHCR personnel, the divisional officer of the Pitoa locality and wrestled with gendarmes and the police who were sent to calm thesituation. After seizing and destroying UNHCR equipments and seven military vehicles, the situation was finally contained four days later following serious negotiation and crowd control actions. In the end, three gendarmes amongst whom the brigade commanderof the Garoua locality and two refugees were seriously wounded. According to the head of the Chadian refugee community in Yaoundé, one Chadianrefugee lost his life in the
clash22.
The burden of refugees on Cameroon
In the early years of independence when the economies of African countries where growing horizontally ; the spirit of African hospitality was at its top. Many refugees enjoyed a wide range of facilities and consideration in their host countries. But with the economic crises that hit many African countries and the increased number of refugee influx into neutral countries, the perception of refugees by the local host population and authorities took a new shift. Hospitality wasnow beingreplaced by disgruntlement and cynicism. Many began perceiving the high presence of refugees and displaced persons as a socio-economic burden on their government, citizens and the country as a whole.
Any country that had signed or ratified any of the international instruments on refugees had the primary obligation to cater for them. Cameroon has always tried to live up to the expectation of its international engagements. The government and its citizens have always been first on the scene whenever such events occurred. During the 1980 events in Chad for example which saw the displacement of 230 000 refugeesinto Kousseriin Cameroon, the government pre-arranged a vast land to build refugee camps and settlements.Moreover, the government made available large quantities of food such as: rice, sugar, millet, maize, oil, fish, meat as well as emergency medical needs packages for the refugees while waiting for international assistance. The Ministryof Healthof Cameroonmade available a stock of medicines to the amount of 3, 6 millionFCFA (close to 5 500 euros) during the2008 Chadian refugee influx into Cameroon23. However, continued this life-line activity proved very costly for the government with the unending influx of refugees.
The government sent appeals for support even fromsome philanthropic members of the Cameroon society. Assistance brought by the Cameroonianpublic in the month of February was equally very remarkable. The local population of Kousseri openedtheir doors to provide shelter and food to many refugees who hadno living space in the camps, churches and public schools. Over 3 000 were sheltered at the College d’Enseignement Technique et Industriel of Kousseri (CETIK), majority of them being women and children24.
Moreover, the Cameroongovernment in the past has had to mobilize its security forces to ensure the safety of the refugees from any attack from Chad-based rebel militias and to maintain general law and order in thearea. Elements of the General Delegation for National Security and the National Gendarmerie were all placed in strategic positions for emergency action. Also, experts were mobilized to ensure the registration and identification of all displaced persons, ensuring the separation of real refugees from normal migrants. These services have been very costly for the government.
Another perceptible burden on Cameroon has been the destruction of her ecosystem by the activities of refugees. For example, the felling of trees for cooking energy or for commercial purposes (the sale of charcoal) contributed to environmental degradation.
Refugee Contribution to the Development of Cameroon
To many people, refugees are just a group of destitute. To others, they a group of perpetually needy people who represent nothing more than an enormous burden to any host government. This erroneous perception of refugee presence in a foreign country is a completely one-sided and inaccurate.
Refugees besides being a cause for resource mobilization by governments and donors can constitute a great asset to the development of any host country if well managed. In Cameroonlike in other countries, refugee population has helped to shape the economy and society in some positive way. The non-negligible but almost ignoredpart played by refugees in the development of Cameroon has been caused amongst other factors by the absence of research or study either by the government or UNHCR. This paper opens a window into the small but considerable contribution made by refugees in Cameroonsocially, economically and even politically; with the hope that a more in-depth study will be undertaken by the government or UNHCR. Also, it is hoped that the ideas from this paper will help to polish the negative or pessimistic image people have of refugees.
Direct social contribution
There exist evidences to show the valuable contribution of refuges in the Cameroon’s nation’s building effort. In a crisis and displacement situation, a person of all walks of life, literate and illiterate, skilled and unskilled find their way in a specific location for the same purpose- safety and survival. Among the thousands of refugees who have entered Cameroon during a crisis, were skilled and intellectually fit men and women of the academia who have ended up taking an active partin theeducation of many young Cameroonians. Out of a desire to be useful while on refuge territory or simply to eke a living and feed their families, doctors, professors and ordinary teachers from these countries have managed to integrate themselves into the Cameroonian society and put their know-how to use. These refugees have greatly helped in the training of current and future public administrators and leaders of Cameroonnext generation. Unleashing their intellectual expertise for a pittance just to eke a minimum living, refugees have all brought their little contributionto theedifice. Examples abound such as the stories of Mr. Salvador, a Burundian refugees who is a teacher in a college in Dchang (Western regionof Cameroon);Ms. Domitil Nieligka Marie, a PHD student from Rwanda teaching Bio-chemistry on part- time basis at the University of Yaoundé I; Mr Bizimana Jean Baptist, a Rwandan lecturer whostarted and structured the banking department at the professional Institute in Yaoundé- Siantou Supérieur where many young Cameroonians have been trained in skills like accounting, banking and finance and today have lucrative jobs in both private and public banking institutions.25 Mr.Bunane Charles also from Rwanda, a former lecturer and worker at the National Tourism Office in Rwanda before the 1994 genocide has become a lecturer at the professional institute – Ndi Samba Supérieur in Yaoundé. He is also Director of the institute. He has trained many Cameroonianswho todayfind themselves in the Camerooncivil service.26 Cameroonhas certainly benefited immensely from this pool of outside brains.
Besides the contributions in the academia, some refugees also add to the civil service workforce by providing services as interpreters, pastor and medical doctors,thereby helping in one way or the other in shaping the moral, social and physical health of the Cameroon society.
In the health field, some of the health centers belonging to philanthropists and international organizations, built and equip with staff, medicines and drugs to service refugees have extended their services to the local population in need. An example in point is the Centre Medico- Social Henry Dunant (a gift from the Japanese government) set up under the Cameroon Red Cross based in Yaoundé which has provided services to the local population of Yaoundé.
Direct Economic contribution
The vast majority of refugees present in Cameroon are unskilled. Despite their status, their economic contribution is in no way small. Many driven by their enthusiasm and desire to cut the umbilical cord linking them to dependency, have chosen to carry out small-income generating activities. Many refugees cultivate different kinds of crops which benefit eventhe local population of Cameroon. Rwandansare best known for their “hardworking spirit” and “prosperous tendency” as coined by the headof theChadian refugee’s community in Yaoundé. Rwandansare the community that has successfullyintegrated the Camerooniansociety. They own provision stores, and selllocal food stuff in Cameroonian markets. Many Ivorian refugees have also joined the informal sector. They are involved in small trades like selling cooked food inrestaurants, running provision stores, producing craftwork, sculpture and sewing. In order to run these activities, they have to buy the neededraw materials thereby helping the economy to run. More than 90% of Rwandan refugees in Cameroon are into petty trade and businesses while a few others are in the formal sector (education, medicine, accounting and mechanic).27The wealthier refugees engage in export-import trade, buying loin materials and jewelriesfrom Cotonu or Dubai and selling them in Cameroon. They to pay custom duties at the ports and borders to state officials; adding to the national income generated by ports.28 Refugees who are economically active have to pay a lot of taxes to the government and the money is in turn transferred into government coffers. Wholesalers whorun provision stores for different types of taxes as seen below:
- Trading License tax (patente) which varies depending on thesize of the business.
- Lease (Droit de Baile). Paid to the Urban Council yearly and it ranges between 35-50 000CFA francs (Camerooniancurrency). It was initially supposed to be paid by landlords. It represents 10% of the business structure.
Mathematically, the formula is looks like this:
Rent x 20 =Lease
10
- The Sanitation tax paid yearly to the Ministry of Health which range between 15
to 25 000CFA francs.
- Medical certificate tax which on paper is 9 000 CFA francs is being paid on the field at 25,000 CFA francs. This money is paid every sixmonths tocouncil officials and sent to the ministry of health.
- Another market tax which cost 10,000 CFA francs is paid every 3 months to the Urban Council.
Based on the above statistics, if there are 1,381 Rwanda refugees in urban areas in Cameroon for example, with 90% into trade and petty business, haven lived in Cameroonsince 1994 after the genocide (14 years) and paying the sanitation tax alone; 690 refugees (half total Rwandan refugees in urban areas) running provision stores alone in 14 years have generated241,500,000 (Two hundredand forty one million, five hundred thousand) CFA francs for the government. If theother taxes were to be included in this calculation for Rwandan refugees alone running businesses, it shows that refugees in the urban areas in particular and in Cameroon in general contribute enormously to the country’s economic growth.
The presence of refugees has also increased the demand for goods and services. Though many people have long regarded the presence of refugees as an inconvenience because of the food crisis it generates; economically, the phenomenon is more advantageous to Cameroon. The presence of refugees forces both the government and private businesses to create more infrastructures and jobsthat will increase the manufacturing of goods and services that are consumed by refugees and nationals.
Apart from trade and petty businesses, thousands of unskilled refugees add to the workforce and do the menial jobs that Cameroonian citizens shy away from such as the digging of trenches, doing farm work for money, working in buildingconstructions (building large edifices such as government ministries, commercial enterprises, industries, hotels, and school), house helps, etc. These refugees most often arepreferred by their employers because they provide good services for cheap rates and add to the general satisfaction of those needing and using their services.
Indirect Economic Contribution
Refugees present in Cameroonhave not only brought direct socio-economic contributions to the country’s economy. They have also established an indirect print. Without the presence of refugees and displaced persons living on Cameroonian soil, the services and even presence of agencies such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will not be required. In this line of thought, the mere existence of that agency on Cameroon soil is a factor of employment. UNHCR is staffed with nationals from Cameroon as well as foreigners. By hiring Cameroonian natives, the agency helps in the reduction of unemployment in the country. According to the 2008 statistics obtained from UNHCR Cameroon office, UNHCR recruited a total of 35 Cameroonians - 21 in the Yaoundé office; 7 in the Bertoua office and 7 in the Garoua office.29 In November 2008, some 6 more jobvacancies were being announced. With the lucrative income these staff make, the government benefits from it in the form of income taxes they receive from the agency workers.
Moreover, government also profit indirectly from the processing of refugee residential documents. The processing the refugees documents (refugees cards, visas etc) demands the direct implication of both the Ministry of External Relations, the General Delegation for National Security and the frontier police. These services are done freely for refugees but UNHCR indirectly pays for the cost of services to the government. The situation is similar in the health and education sectors where refugees receive free medical treatments in hospitals such as the Police Hospital, Centre Pasteur, and the Djoungolo Hospital, all based in Yaoundé. Some of these hospitals are state owned and UNHCR pays for the cost of some of the treatments. UNHCR also pays the school tuition of the children of most registered refugees who are registered in schools, colleges and state universities.30 Jacques Franquin, the UNHCR Representative in Cameroon explained that there were more than 910 pupils in the primary schools and 156 students in the secondary and higher education who benefited directly from UNHCR’s scholarships and bursaries in 2003 (Nkonlak, 2003).31 These fees go a long way to keep Cameroon’s fiscal wheel greased up. Despite the lack of statistics on the contributions made by refugees, this paper asserts thatif all the above evidences are put together for analysis by economic specialists, the results of the economic impact of refugee presence and activities will be amazing.
Political Contribution
Politically, the presence of refugees in Cameroon denotes some level of stability and peace in the country. Hosting and protecting refugees helps to boost the image of Cameroonat the international level. Cameroon is by this gesture seen as complying and fulfilling her international engagements, thereby increasing her chances of funding from international financial bodies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
On the diplomatic level, Cameroon’s hospitality towards refugees and displaced persons in the region has also helped to increase and strengthen diplomatic ties with the home governments of these refugees present in Cameroon. On the other hand, countries suchas Chad, CAR and DR Congo for example have refrained from taking any political actions thatmay jeopardize the cordial relationship. Maintaining a relationship of friendliness thereforebecomes a form of manifesting gratitude for Cameroon’s actions towards their displaced nationals.
Obstacles to the Integration of Refugees in theCameroon
Refugees and displaced persons in Cameroonface a variety of difficulties and challenges to fully integrate the society. These challenges are cause by factors like the identity factor, societal prejudice and institutional bottlenecks.
Identity Factor
Many of the refugees in Cameroon find it hard to integrate the society because of their refugee status. It becomes even harder for them because of the low levels of education and the limited or lack of skills. Refugees fromChad, CAR, Burundi and even Ivory Coast face similar problems when it comes to getting white collar jobs. This explainswhy many end up working as unskilled laborers, pettytraders or work as night vigils under insecure conditions, environments and with meager wages ranging between 30 to 50,000 CFA francs (about 50 to 100 dollars) monthly. Some cases of exploitation of refugees have occurred because of their refugee statuses. For example, a Chadianrefugee by name Ndoutabé Ferdinand who worked for a securityagency “DAK Security” as an Interpreter for 15 years was victim of his status after being terminated. When Ferdinand was fired from his job, he was refused the right to his pension benefits. All attempts to solve the matter endedat a dead-end road just because the issue concerned a refugee.
This situation was the same for another Rwandan refugee who worked for a traveling agency for close to 9 years. He fell sick one morning and absented from work for two days without permission. Upon return, he was immediately fired without remorse.32 Stories like these are reasons behind the frustration suffered by refugees as they constantly find themselves in search of new jobs.
Societal Prejudices
Socially, Cameroonians have been known for their generosity and hospitality. However, the pressures of unemployment and the general economic hardship suffered by all have pushed some Cameroonians to be less friendly towards “foreigners”. This attitude is underpinned by the erroneous idea that refugeesare “job usurpers” and a “fiscal burden”to the country. Theseclichés make it difficult to comprehend the fact that refugees are not the cause of their misfortune. According tothe head of the Chadian community, most refugees by the very fact of their status find it difficult to get certain jobs even when they qualify. This is because of the lukewarm attitude most employers have of refugees, especially when they present themselves with refugee cards.33
Moreover, some refugees who have prospered economically stillface the problem of discrimination of their status. They areoften confused with other voluntary expatriates because of their accent and articulation. From this vantage point, either they are charged extraneous fees for services or they are denied the service when or if they don’t comply with the discriminatory rule. In the accommodation sector forexample, some landlords tend to increase the cost of roomunder the misconception that “all foreigners” are loaded with money.34
Institutional Bottlenecks
The Cameroon government has been reluctant to set up a committee to check refugee eligibility and ease their access to the workforce. Also, some refugees consider the slow processing of their status papers as a big problem. Upon arrival into the host country, they are not legally recognized as refugees until the period they are issued a refugee card which then acts as their residence permit. For this reason, some refugees and displaced persons are scared to go to certain places or environments to seek jobs or other servicesfor fear of being arrested and maybe repatriated. Although refugees are issues a “Receipt” once they file the paper work for asylum, which can be used as a legal justification of pending status; these receipts can never replace the actual refugee cards.
In addition, many refugees have complaint about the constant police harassments on the streets and highway. Some who have been victims say that when they use public transportation (taxis) and arrive at a police checkpoint, they are sometimes asked to get off the taxi for further questioning when they present their refugee cards; which is different from the normal identification cards. While some police officers make act in this callous way just to extract some bribe from the victims because they are foreigners; on the other hand, some police officers are ignorant of what a refugee card is or looks like. For this reason, some officers either claim not to recognize the document or insinuate that they are forged. Unfortunate victims are kept for long hours and maybe days under detention and have to pay a token or bribe before they arereleased.35 Harassments like this only makes the situation unpleasant for refugees, increasing their fear of the system, lowering their self esteem and making integration into the Cameroonsociety even more complicated.
Consequences of the Non- integration ofRefugees in the Society
The need to ease the smooth integration of refugees is beyond question. Refugee as seen from the above facts can be a great asset to host governments. Also, refugee integration is important because it reduces their dependency on the host government and international donors. Refugees will become self- sufficient take care of their basic needs (foods, shelter, healthcare etc) and those of theirfamily and community.
However, due to the lack of foresight from host governments, the local populations and even international bodies on the benefits of integration; the negative fallbacks from the huge influx of refugees and displaced persons have persisted. Some of these negative fallbacks include:
- The pauperization of the refugee population. Those who are unable to integrate the society and become self-sufficient have transformed into eternal beggars and dependents. Many have flooded the streets of the capital Yaoundé and Douala with “begging bowls”, harassing passers-bys and creating a very uncomfortable social situation. The meager subsistence allowances they receive from the UNHCR are unable to meet some of their needs.
- Involvement in criminal activities. Some refugee men and even woman are forced to embark on criminal activities such as theft, robbery, falsification of refugee cards and even travelling papers. These are then sold to some Cameroonians who wish to travel under the guise of refugees and find greener pastures in other countries.
- Uncontrolled promiscuity. Battered by the hardships of survival, some refugee women decided to engage in prostitution as the easier way to make a living. By adding themselves to the mass of prostitutes parading the street corners during after dark hours, these women contribute to the general social decadence. The increase in prostitution rate also raises the rate of insecurity and social instability in the country. Also, prostitution further exposes both the refugees and their communities and the Cameroonian community to sexually transmittable diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS. According to the 2003 estimates by the United State Central Intelligence Agency, Cameroon harbors more than 560,000 people living with HIV/AIDS with and a registered death toll of 49,000.36 With increased social decadence, these figures will keep skyrocketing.
Recommendations towards Refugee Integration: Actions by the Government, the Civil Society and UNHCR
- Government should involve refugees in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan (PRSP) and promote community development projects that directly benefit refugee communities, promote self- sufficiency and integration. These could benefit both qualified citizens as well as refugees without discrimination.
- Refugee women and children who most often are the most affected groups during conflicts need greater attention from the Cameroon government and UNHCR. Programs related to women empowerment, peer socialization (Oucho, 2002),37 career oriented discussions and vocational trainings for both women and refugee youths, micro financing for small scale trades or businesses etc. should be promoted and supported. This will enable women and youth self- reliance and reduce or stop the dependency on the men.
- UNHCR in collaboration with the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC) have put in a lot of effort in facilitating refugee integration by providing subsistence, funding for micro- financing projects and supporting the education and healthcare needs ; although many refugees respondents complaint that the UNHCR concentrated mostly on small illnesses as headache or stomach ache, while ignoring complicated and expensive problems such as tooth problems, medical conditions requiring surgery. Despite these efforts, more support and resources are needed due to the persistence of the refugee influx. According to its 2008 statistics, UNHCR reportedly provided financial and material assistance to 8, 000 refugee children in local primary schools and distributed 3 000 school benches , manuals and UNICEF school kits to schools hosting refugees students; registered some 62, 919 refugee in its database; provided 17, 742 adults refugees with UNHCR identification documents; facilitated access to education for 1,200 primary school students, 140 secondary school students and 25 university students. Despite these financial support from the special budget of the High Commissioner, UNHCR still faces enormous funding challenges to cater for the refugees in and off camps.38More funding is needed to support the continuation or improvement of these programs, particularly the food assistance towards refugees in Cameroon. The Cameroon government needs to allocate some additional funds to support UNHCR’s efforts. It might be good to underscore here that it is the primary role of governments to cater for the refugees on their soil and international organization are simply there to support and ensure the effectiveness of the actions.
- Many refugees have tabled complaints regarding frequent police harassment which makes them feel excluded from the society. This does not speak well of Cameroon’s professed “hospitality”. Cameroonian authorities need to step up measures aimed at restoring order within the police corps and halt such unprofessional actions by a group of officers who, influenced by the desire to make a few bucks from the refugees, end up tarnishing the image of the police corps in particular and Cameroon in general. Also, police officers should be trained on the refugee card and how to recognize their authenticity.
- Civil society organizations and groups should play a more active role in condemning the discrimination and exploitation of refugees and displaced persons in Cameroon. They need to intensify the lobby for the respect and protection of the rights of refugees and displaced persons living in the country. Civil society groups need to partner with refugee communities, understand their needs and advocate for more resources to meet them. Capacity building trainings and workshops for refugees will be highly beneficial and increase their chances of getting a job and becoming self sufficient.
- Another very good way to ease the full integration of refugees in Cameroon is to facilitate the possibilities of naturalization. Refugees who have lived for some years, have a good standing with the law and desiring to acquire Cameroonian nationality should be aided in the process. Some refugees who have spent more than a decade in Cameroon and have assimilated the culture and ways of life of Cameroonians are still stuck with the “status of refugees. A smooth naturalization process will benefit refugees greatly and those qualified will be able to postulate for job in the public sector which is only reserved for Cameroon citizens. Naturalization will equally limit the frequent clashes with the police because they will be treated equally as citizens.
- The rights of refugees in Cameroon have more or less been abused mainly because of the absence of national laws protecting them. Although the head of state in July 2005, promulgated into law, the rights outlined under Chapter III (Art.9,) of the right of refugees, 39 there is still a grave need to sign its decree of application in order to ensure their full operation and enforcement within Cameroon’s legal framework. Until this is done, refugees will continue to be discriminated against and exploited.
- The Cameroon government in partnership with UNHCR and CRC should conduct a joint study to assess the social and most importantly economic contribution of refugees and displaced persons on Cameroon’s economy. As best practice, a British Home Office research that was carried out in 2002 into the costs and distributions of foreign- born people in the United Kingdom came out with very interesting results. The research estimated that foreign-born people (including refugees and asylum seekers) contributed about 10% more in taxes than they consumed in benefits and state services. Concerning their net fiscal contribution to the national economy, it was equally found that they provided around £2.5 billion. UK Treasury Minister Ruth Kelly confirmed the assertion when she posited that foreign-born population accounted for over10% of UK’s GDP in 2001 alone. William’s own study revealed that immigration has a relatively small impact on the balance of payment in the long-run and that in the longer term, immigrants contribute enormously to government revenues and the general well being of the economy (Stevenson, 2005).40 If a similar study was carried out on refugees and displaced person’s contribution to the development of Cameroon, the results would certainly not be too far from the UK experience. Knowing the concrete fiscal contribution by refugees can help erase or smoothen the prejudice and negative image about them as well as accelerate government policies towards alleviating their conditions, expediting their status adjustments and easing the naturalization process and their integration into the Cameroon society.
References
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4. Cameroonis bordered in the west by Nigeria; in the east by the Central
African Repubic (CAR), in the northeast by Chad meanwhile Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Gongoare her southern neighbours.
5. For Further readings on the history of Cameroon see – Ngoh, V.J., Cameroon
1884 – 1985:a hundered years of history. Limbe, Navi – Group Publications, 1987.
6.The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) is composed of
Angola. Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon,Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo. Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe. This was done through the merging by UDEAC members, Sao Tome and Principe and the members of theEconomic Community of the Great Lakes State (CEPGL established in 1976 by the D R Congo, Burundi and Rwanda);while Angola silently observed until 1999 when she decided to join.
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