Overshadowed Humanitarian Crises: 10 Forgotten Refugee Disasters
Ten overlooked refugee crises worldwide: - Forgotten Refugee Catastrophes: Overlooked Migrant Disasters Worldwide
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a humanitarian organization, annually puts together a list of the most overlooked humanitarian crises. Remarkably, this year, Cameroon has surpassed Burkina Faso as the most neglected crisis. Africa dominated the list, accounting for eight out of ten this year, the same as last.
Fading Empathy from the Wealthy World
The NRC expresses significant concerns over the declining international empathy towards crisis regions. The growing trend of self-centered and nationalist political agendas has resulted in a decreasing number of aid offerings to these countries, as NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland explained. "The world seems to be turning a blind eye to those in need," he stated.
Sources: Norwegian Refugee Council, UN Refugee Agency
A Deeper Look into Cameroon's Catastrophe
The root cause of the refugee crisis in Cameroon stems from various factors. The Far North experiences regular attacks from armed groups, instigating significant displacement and augmenting food shortages [5]. Furthermore, ongoing conflict in the Anglophone regions adds to the widespread displacement [5]. Lastly, the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) has compounded Cameroon's humanitarian challenges [5].
Norwegian Refugee Council,
Cameroon's Plight: Displaced, Underfunded, and Ignored
- Refugee Numbers: Around 1.1 million individuals are internally displaced, with almost 500 thousand refugees and asylum seekers within the country [1][4].
- Insufficient Funding: The crisis remains underfunded, with only 45% of the humanitarian response funded in recent years, resulting in a financially significant deficit of approximately $200 million [5].
- Ignored by the International Community: The crisis receives minimal international media attention, political engagement, or diplomatic endeavors to remedy the situation [5].
- World's Most Neglected: The NRC has ranked Cameroon as the world's most neglected displacement crisis [2][5].
Other Disasters on the Edge of Oblivion
While Cameroon holds the spotlight, other nations, such as Ethiopia and Mozambique, also grapple with substantial refugee crises due to conflict and natural disasters. By 2024, Ethiopia faced over 10 million individuals in need of food aid, while Mozambique had displaced close to 600,000 people by the end of the same year [3]. These crises are commonly underreported and lack sufficient global attention and financial support.
- Refugee Crisis
- Cameroon
- Forgotten Disasters
- Global Aid
[1] UNHCR (2021). Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2020. https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2021/6/60a48fcd4/global-trends-forced-displacement-2020.html[2] Norwegian Refugee Council (2021). The Top 10 Most Neglected Crises of 2021. https://www.nrc.no/blog/top-10-most-neglected-crises-of-2021/[3] Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (2021). Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021. https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/global-report-on-internal-displacement-2021/[4] UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2021). Humanitarian Response Plan - Cameroon. https://www.unocha.org/cameroon/humanitarian-response-plan[5] Norwegian Refugee Council (2021). Cameroon: Critical Needs Amid an Underfunded Response. https://www.nrc.no/news/2021/cameroon-critical-needs-amid-an-underfunded-response/
UN Refugee Agency
- The decline in international empathy towards crisis regions, such as the ongoing displacement in Cameroon, has resulted in insufficient funding and global attention for these humanitarian crises, exacerbating the situation, as highlighted by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
- Despite the escalating war-and-conflicts and political instability in several countries, including Cameroon, employment policy discussions do not seem to prioritize these forgotten refugee disasters, with the wealthy world focused on self-centered and nationalist agendas, as expressed by the NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland.
