Having arrived in the village of Goura in Cameroon’s far northwest, they are in urgent need of food, shelter, and water, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today, after launching an emergency response.
"They left on foot very early in the morning—women, children, and elderly people," said Dr. Silas Adamou Moussa, MSF deputy program manager for emergencies.
"When they fled, they had to leave elderly and sick relatives behind.
They brought along what possessions they could, but in Goura they have nothing to drink and nowhere to sleep.
The refugees have been staying in a large, informal camp in Goura since late January.
"This is not the first time that people from Rann have had to flee to Cameroon," Dr. Moussa said.
"The first time, some of them returned home after having fled, but not this time.
Their children are afraid."
Access to safe drinking water has been a major problem in the camp.
MSF and other aid providers have been working to increase the provision of drinking water to 240,000 liters per day in the camp.