Rebuilding lives in times of crisis

Since 2016, the so-called Anglophone conflict has severely affected the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, the North West and the South West. The crisis is linked to the independence aspirations of the part of the country that was once a British colony) and has led to massive displacement within and outside the country. 

International humanitarian law is not respected by both state forces and non-state armed groups in the Anglophone conflict, leading to endless violence that has so far forced almost 700,000 civilians to flee their homes and disrupted health and education services. The impact on the economies of both regions is immense.

After eight years of conflict, the number of people in need of humanitarian aid is huge. As in most conflicts, women are particularly affected. They are exposed to human-rights violations and gender-based violence (GBV) from many sides – from state forces, armed groups and intimate partners. 

Women are essential not least for the economic development of the country, but due to the ongoing conflict, they instead work in deplorable conditions and for minimum wages – vulnerable to sexual exploitation, human trafficking and high levels of violence. This is also the case in host communities, where tensions are rising due to limited resources and employment opportunities, and women from Anglophone regions are often marginalised and discriminated against. Displaced returnee women also face challenges in their communities of origin in terms of security, resource mobilisation and reconstruction.

The Anglophone conflict is very complex. There are certain periods, sometimes influenced by certain regional or national holidays, when violence increases sharply. This leads to different patterns of flight and displacement of the affected population. These changing patterns of movement, which sometimes result in people fleeing from one community to another or temporarily returning to their homes, make it even more difficult to ensure the (economic) recovery and integration of women in the different communities. At the same time, the host communities in which women are stranded have very different social, religious and cultural backgrounds, which also has an impact on integration.

The conflict has severely impacted the already limited opportunities for women to contribute economically to their communities of origin or host communities. While women and girls were already disadvantaged in terms of access to education and training, they are now often unable to go to school at all. Severe trauma caused by the experiences of war further prevents women from engaging in income-generating activities. Without a genuine healing process and the (re)integration of women into the school system and the economy, equality, inclusive development and economic growth will remain unattainable throughout the country and particularly in the conflict regions.

Women raise their voices

However, Cameroonian women are increasingly raising their voices to criticise the state of humanitarian aid and economic reconstruction efforts and lament the lack of measures for long-term integration and sustainable financial stability. The most visible result of this outcry is the creation of the National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon in 2021. The platform brings together 77 women’s organisations and networks from all ten regions of Cameroon and continues to campaign for peace. The country is facing not only the Anglophone crisis but also ongoing attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram in the Far North region and is hosting thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic in the east.

Women’s voices have now also drawn attention to the redesign of integration mechanisms and financial-inclusion policies in the two regions affected by the Anglophone conflict. They are calling for better implementation by the government and international development institutions, in particular to strengthen women’s economic power as a first step out of the multiple crises that the conflict has created for them.

So far, it is mainly civil-society organisations that have been addressing the needs of vulnerable groups such as women and children. The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) and Common Action for Gender Development (COMAGEND) are prominent Cameroonian organisations that advocate for women’s issues. 

Sexual exploitation and marginalisation

According to Violet Fokum, Executive Director of CHRDA, one of the main challenges facing conflict-affected and internally displaced women from the South West region is sexual exploitation. The women are forced to use sex work as a means of survival, coerced into it or sexually abused. Marginalisation and discrimination within Cameroonian host communities, where they have no opportunity to participate in livelihood activities, are considerable problems too. “Due to the general scarcity of resources and opportunities, host communities feel threatened by the presence of displaced women,” she says, adding: “If communities cannot learn to welcome each other on the basis of human values, we need policies and mechanisms that connect them.” 

CHRDA’s approach is to run long- and short-term empowerment programmes and training sessions to help vulnerable and displaced women acquire skills to start building their livelihoods and economic strength. “We work with other organisations to ensure that these programmes are as comprehensive and effective as possible,” explains Fokum.

In the North West region, the conflict situation has intensified further than in the South West region, and the population is experiencing more and more “ghost town” days. At the beginning of the conflict, “ghost town” days were introduced every Monday by separatist groups to crush government activities. On these days, both regions are completely sealed off and no economic, social or religious activities take place. In the North West region, these “ghost town” days have become increasingly common and sometimes last for weeks. People who defy them are subjected to kidnapping, extortion, torture and sometimes arbitrary executions.

Common Action for Gender Development (COMAGEND) is active in the region and focuses on empowering women. Programme Manager Achem Evi Claire emphasises that conflict-affected and displaced women are excluded from almost all areas of life, from access to health services to participation in decision-making processes. COMAGEND is working to reintegrate these women, she says: “We provide information to facilitate reconstruction and integration and resources to empower women in decision-making processes and leadership positions. This is done through capacity building, psychosocial support and political advocacy.”

However, there is some movement at national and international level as well. International organisations and the Cameroonian government are increasingly working together to develop programmes and strategies that ensure and promote the integration of displaced women into new communities or their reintegration into their old ones. Such mechanisms must first and foremost improve and strengthen the economic capacities of women affected by conflict so that they can resume their livelihoods.

Resource mobilisation is critical at all levels. It enables grassroots, regional and national organisations to offer economic empowerment programmes that provide feasible and sustainable solutions to the challenges of women’s economic inclusion in the affected regions. However, it is clear that the Cameroonian government in particular has the most important role to play – in finding ways to achieve lasting peace, in creating inclusive policies and in ensuring gender-equitable development for the entire country.

Glein Neneng is a programme associate and community manager at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung for Cameroon and Central Africa. Among his main fields of interest are social inequality, gender equality and inclusive development. 
nenengglein@gmail.com