Climate refugees emerges in Cameroon
Whether and its environmental changes on the people of northwest region cannot go un notice given the health challenges, poverty and high cost of living is affecting the living standards of the locals who have been in arm conflict for over six years with poor harvest, and having no economic opportunity, sends a negative signal on climate change.
Poor yields in 2022 caused by low and infrequent rain falls brought about poor harvesting of crops while some were destroyed by military men locating Amba fighters in the villages contributed to low crop harvest. The continues increase of violence and arm conflict is a contributing factor for mass movement of families to sub- communities. Poor grazing and the dwindling water flows from streams sparked controversies on grazing land owned by local cattle farmers in the Donga Mantung divisions with the Fulani’s exploded to violent conflict amongst the locals for the pass years, triggered with political upheavals in the country. These actions and population exodus is still ongoing in Menchum division with most farmers being cattle rearers and the Fulani’s alongside the local population. The senior administrators and top military officers in these conflict zones are responsible for the aggravation of the Fulani’s and locals as they give weapons to the Fulani’s to fight grazing lands from the chiefs and locals in the name of Anglophone war of self-determination and independence.
These tussles have caused thousands of families to relocate to other regions as IDPs with all their belongings seized by these arm Fulani’s with their military support, spear headed by dubious politicians seeking state honor and promotion to higher office.
The arm conflicts couple with poor yields and food scarcity, dwindling river flows with scorching heat during the day is a driving force for many locals to relocate in urban towns as IDPs sourcing for a better life. This better life is seemingly a dream that may never be attained given the high cost of basic food prices in the country and the abject poverty these locals moves along with.
These locals share their stories of a long journey of farming and cattle rearing in their communities in Nwa the Donga/ Mantung division and Wum in Menchum division as seen from their great grandparents who grew several traditional crops that can no longer grow again as the soil fertility have now degraded to its maximum, thus affecting their continues settlements, with the raising violence, hundred have been killed, perverse hunger and arm conflicts amongst others. The lack of regular and timely rainfalls makes living harder for life to survive. Water is the driving train of all life and without it there is no life.
Mrs. Susan Mandel recounts her story from Nwa in the Donga/ Mantung division " These Fulani herdsmen killed my husband on our grazing field and took away all our cattle’s and went away with them without any help from the government military but they rather supported them. I have 6 children and have moved to this community to resettle and start up life with nothing and my children are unable to attend school for lack of money. Our family farmlands have been seized by them and they attempted killing us all, so we escaped during the night. We need help so that my children could go to school as other children".
Susan is one amongst thousands who have fled their villages with nothing to live on, all as a result of climate change effect on grazing land, where there is widespread poverty and subsistence farming and livestock rearing characterize much of the divisions and is most vulnerable to climate change. Reshaping communities,’ access food and water is a cause for concern by the government of Cameroon, to seek all possible solutions to the arm conflicts in the national territory causing mass migration and seek solution to sustainable green farming.
