Cameroon, CAR Open Talks on Voluntary Repatriation of Nearly 300,000 Refugees

The governments of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, CAR, have begun discussions on the voluntary repatriation of nearly 300,000 Central African refugees living in Cameroon, amid dwindling humanitarian assistance for refugees and host communities.

The process got underway on Tuesday, July 14, with an audience granted by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, to the Central African Republic\'s Minister of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity and National Reconciliation, Josiane Lina Bemaka-Soui.

The meeting served as a prelude to a working session aimed at relaunching the voluntary repatriation programme for Central African refugees currently taking refuge in Cameroon.

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, Cameroon was hosting close to 300,000 refugees from the Central African Republic as of November 2025, making it one of the country\'s largest refugee populations.

Most of the refugees fled years of political instability and armed conflict in the neighbouring country. The crisis intensified in 2012 when the Séléka rebel coalition seized power, triggering widespread violence and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to seek safety in neighbouring states, including Cameroon.

With relative stability gradually returning to parts of the Central African Republic and humanitarian resources under increasing strain, the two governments are seeking to establish conditions that would allow refugees to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity, in line with international humanitarian standards.

The outcome of the discussions is expected to shape the next phase of the repatriation process in collaboration with humanitarian partners.