Nearly 8,000 Cameroon refugees have fled to eastern and southern Nigeria in the past two weeks, the United Nations refugee agency said, as violence flared between security forces and separatist insurgents.
The spike in refugees, coming in the run-up to last weekend’s general elections, brings the total number of Cameroonians who have fled to Nigeria to almost 60,000, the U.N. agency said.
The conflict between Cameroon’s army and English-speaking militias seeking to form a breakaway state called Ambazonia began after the government cracked down violently on peaceful protesters complaining of being marginalized by the French-speaking majority.
The insurgency has forced half a million people to flee their homes and presented President Paul Biya with his biggest challenge since he took power nearly 40 years ago.
