MEETING TRIPARTITE | LNC - LANOUVELLE CENTRAFRIQUE

Tripartite Meeting (Cameroon-CAR-UNHCR) on Refugees

By Mathilde LERAT | LNC Translated into English by Karen Ann SULLIVAN l LNC

(Bangui, July 25, 2026 | LNC) Discussions are currently underway regarding the voluntary repatriation of Central African refugees present in Cameroon, where approximately 283,000 remain—distributed primarily across the East and Adamawa regions. A few thousand are also concentrated in urban centers such as Douala and Yaoundé. All these refugees arrived over a decade ago during the crises that affected the country. Cameroon is, in fact, the country hosting the largest number of Central African refugees. From July 12 to 14, Yaoundé hosted a meeting of the tripartite commission (Cameroon-CAR-UNHCR) to relaunch the voluntary and safe return process initiated in 2019. According to the UNHCR, 28,000 refugees have returned to the Central African Republic over the past seven years. The challenge now lies in ensuring the necessary conditions on both sides of the border for further returns. Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, aims to organize new voluntary and safe repatriation convoys in the coming months: "To date, about 30,000 people have expressed a desire to return home. We are therefore working based on this figure of 30,000, of whom the CAR has already identified 27,000. Our schedule plans for their return by the end of 2026." Offering a different perspective, Josiane Lina Bemaka Soui—the Central African Republic’s Minister of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity, and National Reconciliation—calls for patience: "We are currently going through a turbulent period. The Central African Republic has come under attack in the north—specifically in the Vakaga region—by armed groups [the 3R]. We are also dealing with a cholera epidemic, so we are not truly prepared to receive convoys repatriating our compatriots." For Bangui, more time is needed to prepare both the areas of return and the host communities. The UN is positioning itself in the middle, supporting both parties, explains Saoudatou Bah Mansare, Acting Representative for the UNHCR office in Cameroon: "The key point is that a major milestone has just been reached: the parties have renewed their commitment to a sustainable resumption of the process, conducted in compliance with standards and as quickly as possible. Consequently, our role will be one of monitoring and providing both technical and operational support." In short, according to the final communiqué, this will happen "as soon as possible, following a mutually agreed-upon schedule."

LNC

Date: July 25, 2026

Tripartite Meeting (Cameroon-CAR-UNHCR) on Refugees

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