Cameroon - According to the first round of IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), 158,316 people or 27,919 households are now internally displaced in the Far North region of Cameroon.

An additional 11,482 out-of-camp refugees and 30,585 returnees – formerly internally displaced persons (IDPs) – were also identified in the region, while more than 50,000 refugees currently reside in Minawao refugee camp.

Since 2014 Cameroon has felt the effects of the insurgency of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA, formerly Boko Haram). The increase in violent attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and neighbouring countries has led to the displacement of populations away from areas of conflict and violence.

IOM set up and initiated the first round of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in November 2015 with the objective of providing regular, accurate and up to date information on displaced populations within the Far North region of Cameroon to inform the response of the Government of Cameroon and the humanitarian community.

Released on the 30 November 2015, the first DTM report disseminates information on the number and location of displaced persons and analyses general displacement trends. The data was collected in 38 administrative areas in all six departments of the Far North region of Cameroon – Diamaré, Logone-et-Chari, Mayo Danay, Mayo Kani, Mayo Sava and Mayo Tsanaga.

Up to 87 per cent of all displaced individuals (IDPs, out of camp refugees and returnees) were displaced by the ISWA insurgency, and the remaining 13 per cent were displaced by flooding and other natural disasters. Approximately half of the displaced persons (49 per cent) were displaced in 2015 against 36 per cent in 2014 and 15 per cent before 2014.

The report also reveals that the majority of the displaced population (84 per cent) lives in host communities, while the remaining 16 per cent lives in spontaneous settlements and temporary camp-like settings.

IOM Cameroon Chief of Mission Roger Charles Evina noted: “Displaced populations are in need of comprehensive support. Despite having different causes of displacement, they all have something in common – an urgent need for life-saving and long term assistance.”

The DTM program is implemented in close collaboration with local, national and regional authorities as well as with the humanitarian community. The methodology involves training data enumerators to collect information directly at the smallest local government unit.

This first round of the DTM was made possible thanks to contributions from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) and by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

For more information on DTM in Cameroon please contact: dtmcameroon@iom.int

The full DTM report can be found here: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/cameroon/document/iom-displacement-tracking-matrix-27-november-2015

For further information, please contact Roger Charles Evina at IOM Cameroon, Tel: +237 652 234 640, Email: revina@iom.int