The Federal and Borno State Governments are to repatriate 9,800 refugees from the Minawao internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Cameroon to the state. Over 46,000 IDPs were displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in 2014 and fled to take refuge at the Cameroonian camp. Governor Babagana Zulum led the Nigerian delegation to a tripartite meeting agreement among Nigeria, Cameroon and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) at Marwa.
According to him, the joint meeting was to facilitate the repatriation of 9,800 refugees at the camp to Borno state. The Governor of Cameroon far north, Mijinyawa Bakare, is host the meeting on refugee repatriation to Nigeria. 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.
The rebuilt houses, according to him, are sited in Bama and Banki, two border towns with Cameroon in Bama and Banki towns. The refugees had appealed to Zulum to fast track their repatriation to safer rebuild communities in the state. While in Cameroon along with Permanent Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs, Bashir Alkali, officials of UNHCR, members of technical working group, a member of house of representative for Bama/Ngala/Kala/Balge federal constituency attended the repatriation meeting.
In September 2019, Zulum during his trip to the camp, pledged to repatriate the refugees into their communities. “We’re working with stakeholders towards the repatriation of refugees in a dignified manner,” he said.
