Refugees ditch camps for the city

Frustrated by their living conditions, refugees and other migrants flock to cities in eastern Cameroon in search of employment and a new start. But there are concerns that this could affect the influx of migrants in urban areas and the tensions that emerge between newcomers and locals.

Approximately 226,000 people fled the RCA to take refuge in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Chad since December 2013. Among these four countries, Cameroon receives the largest number of refugees.

Settling down

Since the beginning of 2014, over 80,000 Central fled the upsurge in violence in their country and crossed the border to Cameroon. Many of them were settled in villages, but for some cities in eastern Cameroon are more attractive.

Faustin Tchimi, from the Cameroon Red Cross, said: "Migration of refugees to urban areas complicates efforts implemented to protect the population of refugees in the region. There is a migration to the urban area of Bertoua, but it’s difficult to estimate the number in the city.

"The refugees living in camps and villages already have a significant challenge for humanitarian workers. These indeed are struggling to provide adequate services and to ensure the safety of all.”

IRIN Augustin Bolly Chief refugee camp Guiwa II, in eastern Cameroon said: “Many men left the camp to go to Bertoua and never returned. We have not heard from them since. Some simply went to buy goods to set up small businesses in Guiwa but we were told they were arrested.”

Authorities in eastern Cameroon said it was difficult to determine the exact number of refugees who have settled in cities but they do have an indication to the existence of security problems which are yet to be solved.

"The movement of refugees to Bertoua is a major concern for public authorities. We are currently developing a plan to manage their presence and security," said Irenaeus Galim Ngong, the prefect of the department of Lom-and-Djérem, whose capital is Bertoua.

Bertoua security offcials believe that foreigners are responsible for security incidents and some say they have increased patrols.

Alim Abubakar, a police Bertoua, described the refugees causing problems as "young men trying to survive by doing all kinds of odd jobs, stealing or even committing armed robbery."

Some premises are complaining about incidents of violence by migrants. "I suffered two assaults by migrants," said Umaru Sanda, a resident of Bertoua."

Mr. Abubakar, police commissioner, said at least five migrants were arrested every night for minor offenses or armed assault. It also said a national CAR was involved in a battle with local residents of Bertoua, where someone pulled out a machete, cut the hand of a policeman who tried to intervene and injured four others.

These tensions are nothing new. Last September, clashes erupted between refugees and residents when a group of refugees left their camp to go to neighbouring villages. The army finally intervened to stop the refugees before they reached the town of Bertoua.

Migrants in detention

A guard of the Central Prison in Bertoua, who requested anonymity, told IRIN that 32 people in different nationalities had recently been brought to the prison. He could not yet say how many of them had been detained. He only said they have many refugees under their care.

The guard said that those arrested were detained and that UNHCR had reviewed their records, but the UN agency had difficulty identifying the majority of prisoners, leaving some uncertainty about their status and making it difficult to obtain protection.

In search of a better life

The ability to find work leads many refugees to settle in the cities. However, they are often vulnerable to exploitation and detention - which makes their survival difficult - because they do not have proper identification documents and they have little or no job skills.

Central African refugees living in the city are in their country despite life in the camps and villages being unbearable.

"I cannot stay in a village where there is no electricity or water and where the conditions of accommodation are as bad," said Jodel Tanga, a high school student who left Mborguene camp in eastern Cameroon eight months ago to get to Bertoua.

He added: "Here, I know I can work and maybe even save for going back to school one day. I had to dodge the police checks to go in town. Many other refugees were caught in the path between the camp and Bertoua and no one has heard of them.”

Mr. Tanga noted that checkpoints have been strengthened since and it is now more difficult to achieve Bertoua.

Survive "against all"

Having never lived in a refugee camp before, Baba Karim, 26, has worked as a motorcycle taxi driver for three weeks in Bertoua. He admits he does not yet know the city very well, but he insists his determination to succeed. He said: "I do not know the names of places: I depend on customers and other drivers for directions. But I have to survive against all.

"There's nothing for me in the refugee camps. People there do not have real lives; they depend on humanitarian workers and live outside."

Mr. Karim lives in a building under construction with four other refugees who are also in search of odd jobs. They are sometimes hired by contractors working on the site. Karim receives a daily wage, but his work is risky.

He added: "I earn at least 5,000 francs ($ 10) per day and I give 3,000 francs to the owner of the motorcycle. Unfortunately, some days, I end up losing everything that I won because I have to pay bribes to police for wine that frees me."

Some detainees are forced to make incriminating testimonies. "I was detained about five times because I had no identity papers. They always end up releasing me because the police are frustrated by my situation and also because I'm still young," said Abu Hassan, 16, who works as a porter. "But when you are in their custody, they force you to say all sorts of things. I know refugees from Congo and CAR who were forced to make statements that are now in prison."