CAMEROON
MORE THAN 310,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FLOODS IN THE FAR NORTH REGION
Although the rainy season is over, rising waters in the Logone et Chari division, in the Far North region, continue to affect people. Since 15 November, floods have affected more than 54,800 new people in the Logone et Chari alone. This brings the number of people affected in the region to over 310,000 as of 13 December. More than 17,000 people were forced to move to safer areas, and about 31,000 houses were destroyed. Partners also reported more than 300 unaccompanied or separated children. The difficult conditions of the affected populations also increase the risk of gender-based violence for women and girls.
ECHO and USAID respectively allocated Euros 300,000 and USD 250,000 in new funding in response to the flood crisis in the Far North region. However, the needs remain significant, and the humanitarian community continues to advocate for more funding for an adequate response.
NIGER
MORE THAN 1,600 NEW NIGERIAN REFUGEES IN BOSSO DEPARTMENT
On 30 November, about 6,059 Nigerian refugees found refuge in the Bosso Department, eastern Diffa region. The Niger National Eligibility Commission for refugee status determination has continued to pre-register new arrivals, and this number has now increased to 7,697 Nigerian refugees – a 20 per cent increase within two weeks. According to regional authorities in Diffa, thousands of Nigerian refugees from Malam Fatori town in neighbouring Nigeria arrived in Bosso after violent attacks from non-state armed groups on 19 and 20 November. Humanitarian partners have distributed 1,028 non-food item kits so far. Other priority needs, such as food and shelter, are in the process of being distributed. The Diffa region currently hosts 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and more than 130,000 refugees. They represent 40 per cent of the IDPs and more than 50 per cent of the refugees in the country.
DR CONGO
AT LEAST 141 PEOPLE KILLED AFTER HEAVY RAINS IN KINSHASA
On 13 December, heavy rains in the capital Kinshasa killed more than 141 people and affected nearly 38,800 families, according to the Congolese Government, which has decreed three days of national mourning. A section of the road linking Kinshasa to neighbouring Kongo Central Province, a major provider of food products, collapsed, raising fears of an increase in food prices. Floods are recurrent in several provinces of the country.
Kinshasa joins a growing list of provinces that have been affected by floods since October when the rainy season started. Equateur, Sud-Ubangi, Nord-Ubangi, Tshopo, and Maniema provinces have also reported loss of lives, homes destroyed, as well as farmland, schools and other infrastructures affected.
CALLS FOR THE RESPECT OF THE CIVIL & HUMANITARIAN CHARACTER OF IDP SITES
In a statement on 14 December, humanitarian actors said they were concerned about the persisting disregard of the civilian and humanitarian character of internally displaced persons (IDP) sites in Ituri, eastern North-Kivu province. Between April 2021 and May 2022, 12 armed attacks were recorded against IDP sites in Ituri. These attacks, primarely attributed to armed groups, left 192 civilians dead and displaced many others. The most recent attack on 11 December in Nyamusasi site, in Djugu territory, left one person injured.
The note calls on the Government to take urgent action to ensure that the sites are safe and protected for civilians and humanitarian actors.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs