Overcoming Barriers to Humanitarian Access in Cameroon’s Anglophone Regions

By Muriel M. Kinkoh

Executive Summary

Cameroon’s Anglophone regions continue to face a deepening humanitarian crisis due to ongoing conflict, displacement and persistent barriers preventing aid from reaching the affected populations. Administrative bottlenecks, continuous insecurity, destroyed infrastructure, and persistent funding constraints significantly restrict humanitarian access.  The consequences are dire. Due to the lack of access to healthcare, food aid, education, and protection services, vulnerable persons are more exposed to hunger, illnesses, exploitation, and easy recruitment into armed groups. Without urgent action, these access constraints will continue to cost lives and worsen long-term instability. To address these access barriers, this policy brief calls on the government, humanitarian actors and conflict parties to take swift coordinated action to ensure a safe, consistent and principled humanitarian delivery in order to preserve civilian lives and dignity. Addressing these barriers is critical not only for humanitarian response but also for stabilizing affected regions and rebuilding trust between citizens and institutions.

Key messages

• Humanitarian access in the Anglophone regions is severely constrained and is worsening needs.
• Main obstacles to reaching affected populations include insecurity, administrative bottlenecks, damaged infrastructure and fragmented control by state and non-state actors.
• Access constraints affect conflict dynamics, and increase vulnerability of affected populations.
• All parties must ensure secure access routes, protect civilians and relief workers, and uphold humanitarian standards.

Introduction

The conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions between the state security forces and different non-state armed groups (NSAGs) is considered as one of Central Africa’s most complex and protracted humanitarian situations, with over 6500 deaths and over 500,000 displacements. In September 2025 alone, more than 4,500 people were forced to flee their homes; in October, over 1,400; in November, over 1,700; and in December, over 2,000. These recent displacement incidents, spurred by armed clashes, intimidation, and fear of reprisals, have caused humanitarian needs to escalate. More than 1.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Anglophone regions, including shelter, food assistance, water, protection services, education and health services. International humanitarian law (IHL) mandates that all parties to a conflict allow and facilitate the rapid and unrestricted passage of humanitarian assistance to civilians in need.  However, in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, humanitarian access is stifled by a dual-threat environment: government restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles, military roadblocks, alongside separatist-imposed lockdowns, kidnappings, and attacks on aid workers and civilians. These constraints compromise the efficacy of responses and leave many populations unsupported. This brief aims to identify and analyze the key barriers limiting humanitarian access in the Anglophone regions, examine how this limited access affects vulnerable populations, and to identify and propose practical recommendations to improve humanitarian access.

1. Barriers to humanitarian access in the Northwest and Southwest regions

Humanitarian access in conflict areas continues to be one of the biggest issues facing relief agencies globally. For the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, the delivery of life-saving assistance is hampered by a complex interplay of structural, security, infrastructural and funding challenges.

Structural barriers

A major barrier to humanitarian access in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions stems from restrictive government regulations. Humanitarian organizations frequently encounter substantial delays in obtaining operational permits and access authorizations, particularly in hard-to-reach areas such as Lebialem and Ndian divisions in the Southwest region. While authorities justify these measures on security grounds, they significantly slow the deployment of aid and reduce operational flexibility. Additionally, a climate of mistrust between the government and certain international humanitarian actors, sometimes perceived as sympathetic to separatist groups, has further complicated access. This tension has, in some cases, resulted in the withdrawal of some organizations, as illustrated by the withdrawal of Doctors Without Borders in 2022. This undermines the effectiveness of humanitarian operations and limits coverage in the most affected areas.

Security barriers

The presence of multiple state and non-state armed actors create a volatile and insecure environment in which humanitarian actors encounter threats, crossfires and even direct attacks. At least 269 access restrictions, including injuries to humanitarian workers, were reported in 2025 alone. Movement is further restricted by NSAG tactics including lockdowns and enforced ghost towns, which forbid all civilian and humanitarian activities during designated times. Additionally, there are significant threats along important transportation routes, including those needed to supply relief, due to the widespread deployment of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), with over 131 incidents reported in 2025, especially in Bui and Momo divisions. This ongoing insecurity deepens unmet needs, raises operating expenses, and decreases humanitarian presence.

Infrastructural barriers

Aside from the regional capitals like Buea and Bamenda, the vast majority of roads and bridges in the conflict communities have been seriously damaged, making transportation of humanitarian personnel and supplies extremely difficult. Besides, poor weather conditions, especially during the rainy seasons, exacerbate the poor state of these roads. Humanitarian workers from Buea, Limbe, and Tiko in the Southwest region have reported that major roadways connecting rural areas like Likoko-Membea and Ekona are often impassable due to deep gullies, landslides, and poor maintenance. These significantly hinder the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid in these areas.

Funding constraints

Persistent funding challenges continue to constrain humanitarian operations in the Anglophone regions. The suspension of key streams such as USAID funding, has forced organizations like the Danish Refugee Council to scale back, close field offices and suspend planned interventions. While agencies have continued to provide some services, there are still large gaps in access and coverage.

1. Implications of barriers to humanitarian access for populations in conflict-affected areas

Restriction on humanitarian access in the Anglophone regions is not only limiting aid delivery, but is actually changing the dynamics of the conflict and increasing the vulnerability of civilians. When communities are cut off from basic services like food, healthcare, education and protection, this deprivation becomes a driver of insecurity rather than just a result of it.

According to the human needs theory, the lack of basic needs such as food, water, shelter and protection causes frustration and social alienation. In this situation, restrictions to humanitarian access serve to multiply conflict because people become more vulnerable to recruitment by non-state armed groups if they are unable to meet their basic needs. In addition to financial rewards, armed groups provide many young people, particularly those stranded in remote communities, with a sense of identity, safety, and belonging that might otherwise be lacking. This dynamic accelerates cycles of radicalization and normalizes involvement in violent acts, such as kidnapping and illegal taxation.

Access barriers have also increased protection risks, especially for women and children. Disruptions caused by lockdowns and insecurity have resulted in widespread school closures, taking away a vital protective environment for children and making them more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and coerced recruitment. In addition, delays in delivering food, shelter, and medical assistance have led to worsening food insecurity and malnutrition. Women and girls face heightened risks of gender-based violence, while maternal mortality is on the rise due to insufficient access to reproductive and emergency healthcare. In many of these affected communities, the health system has nearly collapsed, with over 210 health facilities rendered non-operational by attacks, insecurity, and displacement of medical personnel. Due to access constraints, aid workers are unable to close these gaps even though communities rely heavily on them.

Finally, access constraints have led to the international neglect of the crisis. Several humanitarian organizations have been compelled to reduce or halt operations due to operational constraints and insecurity, which has decreased the visibility of needs and the flow of external aid. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the crisis in Cameroon is the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, marked by inadequate humanitarian financing, limited media attention and a lack of effective political will to put an end to hostilities and improve the conditions of displaced people. This neglect feeds a vicious cycle whereby a lack of access results in reduced presence, which exacerbates isolation and unmet needs.

Conclusion

Structural, infrastructural, security and funding challenges seriously impede the efficient delivery of humanitarian relief in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. From government restriction of access, increased violence, destruction of road and transport infrastructure, and insufficient funding, these challenges have serious negative implications for the conflict-affected populations. Addressing these barriers requires coordinated, multi-level action that tackles both immediate access constraints and the structural drivers of the crisis.

Recommendations

To address access constraints in the Anglophone regions, the following reforms are necessary:

To the government

• The Ministry of territorial administration in coordination with local administrative authorities should simplify approval processes and fast-track clearances for humanitarian actors.
• The Ministry of public works should work with local councils and communities to rehabilitate roads and bridges within 6-18 months, especially in high need and hard-to-reach areas to ease transportation of humanitarian personnel and supplies.
• Within 6 months, the presidency should convene a credible inclusive political dialogue involving state authorities, non-state armed groups, civil society, religious and traditional authorities, marginalized communities, IDPs, and international partners to address the root causes of the crisis.

To humanitarian agencies

• UN agencies, international and national NGOs should reinforce joint planning and information sharing through their coordination platforms. Also, humanitarian programming should align with longer term recovery and stabilization efforts in collaboration with the government.
• Within 5 to 10 months, international and national humanitarian agencies should develop and implement joint advocacy strategies in international platforms to address underfunding and low visibility.

To combatants

• State security forces and leaders of non-state armed groups should adhere to IHL by protecting civilians, humanitarian personnel, infrastructure, and facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access.