10,000 NEWLY DISPLACED IN CENTRE-NORD REGION
Nearly 10,000 people have been newly displaced in Bouroum commune, Centre-Nord region, in the wake of a non-state armed group attack on 3 October. According to the rapid count conducted by regional authorities, 9,792 people have been newly displaced. Nearly 85 per cent of the displaced have fled to Tougouri commune, a major transit site for internally displaced people in the region situated along the main road from Kaya, in the Centre-Nord region, to Dori, in the Sahel region. The 3 October attack in Bouroum resulted in several casualties among the Burkinabè security forces and the homeland defense volunteers (VDPs) assigned to protect the Taparko gold mine.
SERIES OF ATTACKS IN SOLENZO LEAVE 168,000 WITHOUT ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
The situation in Solenzo, a commune in the north-western Boucle du Mouhoun region, is increasingly critical in view of growing activities by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in recent months. Between 6 and 9 October, a series of attacks on health centres and NGO offices have been reported, resulting in the loss of two ambulances, theft of medicines, supplies and a 4×4 vehicle from the warehouse attached to the Medical Centre with Surgical Antenna (CMA), and vandalism and theft of material from an INGO office. The prevailing insecurity in the commune had forced the CMA to close its doors in September 2022, leaving a population of nearly 168,000 without access to specialized healthcare services. The attacks have also compromised the mobile telephone network in the area.
CAMEROON
TEACHER ABDUCTED AND SEVERELY INJURED IN SOUTH-WEST REGION
On 5 October, a non-state armed group (NSAG) abducted and tortured a civilian in Akwaya locality, Manyu division, in the South- West region, after he was identified as a teacher. He was later released with severe injuries after payment of a ransom. Education continues to be targeted in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions, with teachers, students and school personnel being abducted, threatened, and killed. Since January 2022, over 49 teachers and students have been abducted, five of them killed and seven injured. Six incidents of arson targeting education facilities have been reported by partners. Humanitarian actors continue to advocate for the safe return to school in the North-West and South-West regions.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
HEAVY RAINS FLOOD DISPLACEMENT SITE IN THE NORTHWEST
Some 884 people were forced to leave a displacement site in Kabo, Ouham-Fafa Prefecture, and seek refuge with host families, in a school and a church, after the site was flooded due to heavy rains. The most urgent needs are shelter, food and non-food items. A humanitarian mission on 4 October was unable to reach Kabo due to poor road conditions caused by the floods. This is the second time in three years that the site was flooded. Humanitarian actors are discussing a possible relocation with the local authorities. Between June and October 2022, 104,000 people were affected by flooding in the country; the number has continued to rise since then. During the same period, humanitarian partners provided emergency assistance to 44,000 flood victims.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs