Over 80 Nigerian refugees deported from northern CMR

A group of 40 children, 32 women and 13 men, fleeing acts of violence by the Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram in their country and who had sought asylum in the Cameroonian district of Mayo Tsanaga (far north ) were deported on Monday following a prefectural decree, sources told APA.

The administrative authorities who authorized the move to all sub-prefects, traditional leaders and vigilance committees, prescribed the systematic repression of Nigerian migrants who would attempt to seek refuge in Cameroon or transit through the country.

The decision follows a government instruction requiring restriction of movement of people and goods from or to countries affected by the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, to which are added the risk of contagion of poliomyelitis and cholera present in Nigeria.

This expulsion comes as the Cameroonian army steps up the offensive against Boko Haram, which in recent weeks has lost dozens of members during attacks in the border region of the far north of Cameroon.

Faced with intense fighting on both sides of the border, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has opened a refugee camp in Minawou in northern Cameroon which currently hosts more than 11,000 people.