Struggling against all odds: Psycho-social implications of the Anglophone Crisis on Internally Displaced Youths in Cameroon

Based on a survey conducted amongst internally displaced persons and their hosts in different regions of Cameroon, this paper focuses on the psycho-social impact on young persons

Published on March 21, 2021

Delphine Fanfon | genida, IDPs, Hosts, Africa

For over three years, Cameroon has been facing a socio-political crisis which has affected mainly the anglophone regions of the country. The crisis which started as peaceful protest from lawyers and teachers who were demanding equal treatment in their respective vocations escalated when, rather than invite them to the dialogue table, the government chose a military response which led to the loss of innocent lives and total outrage amongst the peoples in these regions. As a result of this, thousands have lost their lives, hundreds of thousands are displaced both internally and externally in neighboring Nigeria, and hundreds of villages have been razed to the ground in different parts of the affected regions.

Based on a survey conducted amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their hosts in different regions of Cameroon, this paper focuses on the psycho-social impact on young persons. It begins by zooming in on this dire reality through stories of affected populations before proceeding to discuss the immediate and long-term implications of the crisis on this very important part of the population. It shall conclude with practical recommendations for sustainable assistance to internally displaced persons and action points for key stakeholders in Cameroon.

Delphine Fanfon is an affiliate of the Global Engagement Network on Internal Displacement in Africa. Originally from Cameroon, Delphine holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership with an emphasis on Global Consulting from Regent University and two master’s degrees – one in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and another in Counseling from Regent University.

Download GENIDA Working Paper No. 1

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Researching Internal Displacement publishes engaging and insightful short pieces of writing, artistic and research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement.

We welcome contributions from academics, practitioners, researchers, officials, artists, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, postgraduate students and people affected by internal displacement.

Contact the Editorial Team

How to Contribute

Rethinking Planned Relocation as Social Protection In an Era of Increasing Climate Change Risks

By Tomy Ncube and Una Murray | Mar 12, 2026

As climate impacts intensify, planned relocation is increasingly deployed as an adaptation strategy, yet outcomes for relocated communities remain consistently adverse. This paper argues that these failures stem from the treatment of planned relocation as a short-term, projectised disaster response rather than as a long-term developmental intervention. Drawing on social protection theory, this paper reconceptualises planned relocation as a form of social assistance, capable of delivering durable solutions. It demonstrates that planned relocation inherently performs preventive, protective, promotive, and potentially transformative social protection functions by minimising future climate risks, providing non-contributory transfers such as land and housing, and enabling livelihood reconstruction. However, when implemented outside formal social protection systems, these functions may collapse, often resulting in impoverishment and protracted displacement.

Moving Towards Solutions: Addressing Loss and Damage from Protracted Displacement in Bangladesh

By Steve Miron, Dyuti Tasnuva Rifat, Tanjib Islam | Feb 25, 2026

Researching Internal Displacement is pleased to make this case study available as a stand-alone publication. Excerpted from a recent research and advocacy report by the Refugee Law Initiative, this case study of an urban informal settlement in Tongi, Bangladesh, examines the lived experience of loss and damage among people displaced in the context of climate change and left behind in climate action. Encouragingly, the case study also highlights a promising 'good practice' development intervention by the SAJIDA Foundation. In the case study, programme participants describe how Sajida’s multifaceted approach, which empowers women and girls, encourages positive behaviour change and prioritises psychosocial wellbeing across multiple programme workstreams, has helped restore agency, self-sufficiency and hope. SAJIDA’s programme shows how protracted displacement and associated losses and damages can be addressed and are not inevitable.

Missing in (Climate) Action? Displaced Communities and the Search for Durable Solutions: Bangladesh as a loss and damage case study

By Steven Miron, Dyuti Tasnuva Rifat, Tanjib Islam | Oct 21, 2025

Foregrounding the voices of people living in three different communities of displacement in Bangladesh, this field research and advocacy report examines the nexus of climate change, loss and damage and displacement. This comprehensive report highlights promising interventions by Bangladeshi civil society organisations that have helped internally displaced people (IDPs) living in protracted displacement move toward durable solutions. It also examines positive developments on the policy front, including Bangladesh's fledgling National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management (NSIDM). At the same time, it calls attention to how Bangladesh's protracted displacement crisis remains under acknowledged and therefore under addressed in national policy and programming. The findings and recommendations in this report are intended to inform the UNFCCC's Loss and Damage mechanism – the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage (SNLD) and the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) ExCom, including its Taskforce on Displacement. Each must urgently demonstrate its commitment to addressing the growing displacement crisis and supporting durable solution programming. The report's findings and recommendations are also relevant to intergovernmental, governmental and civil society organisations working in and outside Bangladesh. Furthermore, the report suggests how conventional durable solutions approaches to displacement must evolve to remain relevant in a world of escalating losses and damages resulting from climate change.