By Boris Esono Nwenfor
After spending more than a decade in Cameroon, hundreds of Central African refugees have returned to their homeland. On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 518 refugees voluntarily left the Gado Bajeré and Kentzou refugee camps in the East Region as part of a repatriation program organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with the Cameroonian authorities.
The returnees included 254 men and women from the Gado Bajeré camp near Garoua Boulai and 264 from the Kentzou camp. Many of them had fled the Central African Republic (CAR) more than ten years ago due to civil unrest and volatility in their home country.
Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, was in Garoua Boulai to oversee the repatriation process. Addressing the returnees, he emphasized Cameroon’s commitment to supporting regional peace efforts while ensuring a safe and dignified return for those wishing to go back home.
UNHCR facilitated the repatriation and provided logistical support, including transportation and resettlement assistance. The returnees were transported in convoys under tight security measures to ensure their safety as they crossed the border. For many refugees, the decision to return was driven by a desire to reunite with their families and restart their lives in a stable environment.
The UNHCR has reiterated its commitment to voluntary and safe repatriation, stressing that the returnees will continue to receive support in their home country. This latest repatriation effort is part of a broader initiative to assist thousands of Central African refugees in Cameroon who wish to return home as security conditions improve in their country.
Significant progress has been made in the Central African Republic with the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and the restoration of security in some areas. However, despite these efforts, the country still hosts over 507,000 internally displaced people, while many others remain refugees in neighbouring countries.
Decades of violence have left a profound impact, and ongoing floods and disease outbreaks, including mpox and dengue fever, continue to worsen the dire situation for vulnerable populations in displacement sites.
Following agreements between CAR and Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been supporting the CAR government by facilitating a voluntary repatriation programme to support refugees who wish to go back to areas that are deemed safe. Since 2017, more than 49,000 Central Africans have been assisted to return home including 12,000 so far this year from neighbouring countries.
With peace efforts still ongoing in the Central African Republic, the UNHCR and the Cameroonian government continue to monitor the situation, ensuring that those who remain in Cameroon receive adequate protection and assistance.
