YAOUNDE, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — The government of Cameroon has demonstrated an exceptional amount of generosity and understanding by agreeing to play host to refugees from strife-torn neighboring countries, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said.
“I am so grateful to Cameroon for hosting the refugees. I want to discuss with Cameroon on how to increase international support but also how to find solutions so that people can return safely and voluntarily to their countries,” Grandi told reporters in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde.
Grandi, who is on an official visit to Cameroon, made the remarks after meeting with the country’s Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji.
Nji said Cameroon has an obligation to assist the vulnerable population and whenever there is a crisis in the sub-region, “our doors are open to welcome the refugees.”
Grandi is in Cameroon to attend the Regional Ministerial Conference on solutions to forced displacements related to the armed conflict in the Central African Republic, which began on Monday.
“My presence here is testimony that the UNHRC will not forget and neglect other crises that need international support,” Grandi said.
According to the UNHRC, Cameroon hosts about 2 million persons of concern, including 1 million internally displaced persons (IDP), 460,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, and 466,000 IDP returnees. The refugees are predominantly from the Central African Republic and Nigeria, while the internally displaced persons mainly come from Cameroon’s Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions. — NNN-XINHUA