from ROSY SADOU in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Cameroon Bureau
YAOUNDE, (CAJ News) – ETHNIC conflict is impacting the humanitarian response to the outbreak of cholera in Cameroon, amid 154 deaths.
There are probably more casualties as the figures are for the period until May 29.
The Ministry of Public Health had recorded 8 241 cases of the water borne disease.
Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator has approved the allocation of US$1,7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the urgent response to the cholera outbreak.
Seven regions are affected by the epidemic. These are the Centre, Far North, North, Littoral, South, South-West and West.
The South-West region which is already facing acute humanitarian needs due to violence, remains the most affected by the cholera outbreak with 5 628 cases and 90 deaths, followed by the Littoral with 2 208 cases and 58 deaths.
“The humanitarian actors are mobilized to support the cholera response,” said Karen Perrin, the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cameroon.
“However, access to remote areas remains challenging as violence, movements impediments and poor condition of roads continue to hamper the humanitarian assistance in the region.”
English-speaking regions in Cameroon are in the throes of civil strife.
There are sporadic clashes between the national security forces and separatists agitating for self-rule from the government of President Paul Biya.
More than 4 000 civilians and hundreds of members of the security forces have reportedly been killed in the Anglophone regions since 2016.
– CAJ News