Floods In Far North Cameroon Kill Over 64, Displace 160,000

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), at least 64 persons died due to floods in the region and more than 160,000 people were affected by the rain waters in the far North Region of Cameroon.

The region has witnessed one of the most devastating rainy seasons this year.

In several villages and other localities in the far North region, according to the report just made public, schools and houses were badly flooded and out of use.

 Public taps were inaccessible by the community, while health centres also closed because they were flooded by water and toilets that have collapsed and are no longer usable.

The report reveals that over 12,000 animals including goats, sheep and cattle also died due to the floods.

In the Logone and Chari division alone, more than 131,000 houses were seriously damaged by furious water currents.

With the destruction of homes and plantations, thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes necessitating an increase in the humanitarian demands aimed at making life more livable for the populations.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), has described the floods situation in the far North region for 2020 as “exceptional in comparison to other years”.

Many have said that the floods that have been devastating the far North region of Cameroon which have been blamed on the increasing climate change, has been a cause for concern over the years but the Biya government has since been paying lip service to the cries of the people.

It should be recalled that in 2012, President Paul Biya visited the region and promised to do everything possible to remedy the situation. 

He promised that his government would construct a 330 kilometre causeway to allow for the free-flow of rain waters in times of floods.

This was supposed to be constructed along the Gobo-Kousseri road which has been a main obstacle to water currents. 

Eight years after the promise, which was happily welcomed by the people, nothing has been done.

“The Biya government is notorious for its failed promises and it is a big wonder that people still jubilate when he announces new promises when they know the promises would not be kept.”

 If promises could propel development, Cameroon would since have become a first world country going by the number of promises this government has made to the people since Biya came to power 38 years ago,” declares Ayangma Godfroy, a civil society activist angrily.