West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (22 – 28 February 2022)

CAMEROON

KILLING OF A HUMANITARIAN HEALTH WORKER IN THE NORTH-WEST

On 26 February, alleged non-state armed groups members stopped a medical convoy of two vehicles on the way to Bamenda town. The convoy included 18 health staff members returning from delivering healthcare support in Ashong and Nyonga localities, in the NorthWest region. Armed men fired gunshots at the convoy killing a nurse and injuring two staff members. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon strongly condemned the attack and called for the protection of health workers and services. In December 2021 and January 2022, seven attacks on healthcare were reported in the North-West and South-West regions, hindering the provision of assistance to patients in critical need. Furthermore, medical infrastructures continue to be targeted.

REGIONAL

POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF RUSSIAN-UKRANIAN CONFLICT

Secondary consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict risk impacting vulnerable communities in West and Central Africa. People in the region significantly consume wheat and cereals, of which Russia and Ukraine are major exporters. A decrease in the exportation to the region might cause inflation in prices exacerbating food insecurity and preexisting vulnerabilities. Furthermore, sanctions on procurement from and transaction with Russia could have a ripple effect on humanitarian operations in West and Central Africa. Operations relying on imports that transit through Russian territory might also be disrupted. And lastly, thousands of West and Central African nationals, mostly students, including Nigerians, Congolese, Ghanaians, and Ivorians are stranded in Ukraine and trying to cross the borders to neighboring Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

DR CONGO

HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS SUSPEND THEIR ACTIVITIES IN MAHAGI

Five humanitarian organizations have suspended their activities in the area of Augba, Mahagi Territory, Ituri province following successive attacks on villages in the area in mid-February. Houses were looted during the attacks, forcing some 25,000 people to flee to seek safety. With 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDP), Ituri is home to almost a third of all IDPs in the DRC

MEASLES OUTBREAK IN TANGANYIKA

At least 11 children under the age of five died of measles in early February in the southeastern Tanganyika province where eight of the 11 health zones are affected by an outbreak of the contagious disease. According to the World Health Organization, there are insufficient supplies to treat Measles in the province with the disease killing 31 people by mid-February- most of them are children under 5.