In November the MSF team in Cross River state, south-east Nigeria, concluded its humanitarian and medical activities in support of refugees from the North-West and South-West (NWSW) Regions of Cameroon and Nigerian communities hosting them.

An estimated 530,000 people have been internally displaced by the conflict in the NWSW Regions of Cameroon[1], while more than 44,000 people have found refuge in Nigeria, predominantly in Cross River, Benue, Taraba and Akwa-Ibom states[2]. Around seventy percent of the refugees from the NWSW Regions registered in Nigeria are currently hosted in Cross River state.

From July 2018 to November 2019, MSF teams carried out 35,967 outpatient consultations, including treating 4,465 cases of malaria. In addition, the organisation conducted 1,113 consultations for pregnant women, 1,200 individual counselling sessions and sensitised more than 90,000 people on health topics such as malaria, hygiene, family planning and mental health.

As part of its collaboration with the Cross River Ministry of Health and in preparation for a smooth transition after the closure of its activities, MSF also ran fifty training sessions for the Nigerian public health workers in health centers where the organisation had been present, and donated essential medications, medical supplies and furniture.

While people in NWSW Cameroon continue to face daily violence and MSF is expanding its support to vulnerable communities there, the humanitarian situation in Cross River has stabilised in recent months.
[1] OCHA September 2019
[1] UNHCR, August 2019