Cameroon II

Cameroon is a country of mixed migration flows, including nationals of neighbouring countries fleeing violence to seek refuge in Cameroon but also Cameroonians who move from rural to urban areas as well as abroad. Because of the tensions and conflicts within the country, almost 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in Cameroon. This is in addition to the almost 500,000 refugees currently living there mostly coming from the Central African Republic. Regarding emigration, it is estimated that 1.4% of Cameroonians live abroad, of which 43% in the EU. Despite significant efforts put in place by the Government, with the support of civil society organisations and UN agencies, Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) remains an important issue for the country.

The Action brought together the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) and the Cameroonian Institute for International Relations (IRIC) to develop a training course on migration that could benefit Cameroonian civil servants as well as other ministries. The topic of migration has slowly entered the political agenda in recent years but has not yet been fully acknowledged as a political priority in the country, and its public officials lack knowledge on it. Hence the importance of this collaboration with the MIEUX+ team and experts.

The course covered a variety of topics such migration and development, tackling trafficking in human beings and better reception of migrants, refugees/asylum seekers and IDPs in the country.