The Federal and Borno State Governments are to repatriate 9,800 refugees from the Minawao displaced persons’ camp in Cameroon to Nigeria. Over 46,000 IDPs were displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in 2014 and fled to take refuge at the Cameroonian refugee camp. While announcing the date of repatriation at the weekend at Marwa, Cameroon, Governor Babagana Zulum said the tripartite meeting agreement among Nigeria, Cameroon, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was to facilitate repatriation of 9,800 refugees to Borno.
According to him, the refugees, comprising women and children are to be repatriated on Saturday, February 27, 2021. He said the Governor of Cameroon far North, Mijinyawa Bakare, is to host the repatriation refugee meeting in Marwa. He noted that the repatriation is voluntary and in accordance to the Kampala Convention. He said that the refugees in camp constitute the first batch of citizens who are willing to be repatriated and resettled in houses built by Borno government. He said the rebuilt houses are sited in Bama and Banki, two border towns with Cameroon in Bama Local Government Area of Borno state.
The refugees had appealed to Zulum to fast track their repatriation to safer liberated communities. In September 2019, Zulum during his trip to the Minawao IDP camp, pledged to repatriate the refugees to Nigeria. “We’re working with stakeholders towards your repatriation in a dignified manner and in accordance with Kampala Convention,” he said.
