29 Children died of exhaustion after fleeing Central Africa to Cameroon

According to the UN, a number of 29 children lost their lives during the CAR tragedy in just about a month. Small and young children amounting to about 29 in all, who fled the killing in Central Africa, died of thirst, cold or tiredness after arriving in Cameroon, the UN warned on Friday. “Since mid-April, the death rate among refugee children was particularly high," said a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Adrian Edwards, during a press briefing.

“29 children, the youngest a baby and the oldest was 9 years old, died between April 14 and May 18” he had said. “Dehydration, hypothermia and severe anemia were the main cause of death," he stated.

CAR refugees began flocking Cameroon from December 5, and so far, 85,000 of them are lodging in some 300 villages which greatly complicate the task of humanitarian, according to UNHCR. 80% are women and children. The cycle of killings in CAR was triggered by months of atrocities against Christians perpetrated by mostly Muslim rebellion Seleka fighters. In response, vigilante militias predominantly Christians, anti- Balaka formed and attacked Muslim civilians in Bangui and its environs.

Since then, the majority of refugees being Muslim were forced to escape on foot for weeks in the bush, a place almost impossible to access for humanitarian workers. In addition, anti- Balaka now block the main roads linking to the CAR and Cameroon and prey on refugees, says Mr. Edwards.

Thus, while more than 10,000 refugees had arrived in Cameroon during the last week of March, the flow was reduced to 2,000 arrivals per week currently, according to UNHCR. Those who come to the border “were severely malnourished and came with a number of injuries” caused in particular by machetes, said the spokesman.

But despite the emergency, humanitarian UN agencies are struggling to find funds. Out of the $ 22.6 million (16.6 million Euros) requested to assist in this refugee population, UNHCR received only 4.2 million. For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) has received no contribution, lamented a spokesperson for WFP, Elisabeth Byrs in Geneva.

The situation is “alarming," she said. Humanitarian workers are especially worried that when the rainy season approaches, it will increase the risk of diseases. WFP has declared alert level 3 for CAR refugees in Cameroon, for “a complex and urgent large-scale operation," she also reported.