13,000 Nigerian Refugee Flee To Cameroun Over Insurgency --UN Reports

The UN Refugee Agency on Tuesday said violence by Boko Haram
insurgents in Nigeria's northeast continues to send thousands of
refugees across the border into neighboring Cameroun, urging the
country to keep its borders open for Nigerian refugees.

UN High Commissioner for Refugee(UNHCR), said that some 13,000
Nigerian refugees crossed from Adamawa state after insurgents attacked
and captured the town of Mubi in late October.

The refugees fled to the towns of Guider and Gashiga in the North
region of Cameroun and to Bourha, Mogode and Boukoula in the Far
North.

According to local authorities in Cameroun, the vast majority of these
13,000 Nigerians have now returned to Nigeria, saying that their final
destination was Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, south of Mubi.

However, in the days immediately following the attack on Mubi, it was
reported that refugees arrived in Cameroun in over 300 vehicles
including many personal vehicles, as well as some trucks and rented
cars.

The Cameroonian authorities reported that they facilitated onward
transit movements and provided escorts to ensure the safety of those
transiting through Camerounian territory.

On the Nigeria side, a UNHCR team confirmed that thousands of
Nigerians are now being hosted at Girei in Gombe State and at the
National Youth Service Centre in Yola.

Meanwhile, newcomers were receiving assistance from the State
Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the National Red Cross Society and
the International Rescue Committee.

In Yola, UNHCR has interviewed some of the people who transited
through Cameroun before re-entering Nigeria.

The report added that the vast majority of them were women and children.

UNHCR said that many families were forced to flee on foot, taking few
belongings with them and walking tens of kilometres before finding
safety in Cameroun.

"We are also examining claims that some of these refugees may have
been forced to return to Nigeria. We are seeking assurances from both
Nigeria and Cameroun that the return of these people was done on a
voluntary basis.

Cameroun is hosting thousands of refugees from Nigeria and Central
African Republic and we encourage Cameroon to continue with its policy
of welcoming refugees," UNHCR said.

In its statement, UNHCR urged states to keep their borders open for
Nigerians fleeing the country and who may be in need of international
protection.

According to the UN agency, its advisory seeks to ensure that
humanitarian and asylum principles are upheld in light of the ongoing
insecure situation in north-eastern Nigeria.
--PM News