Internally Displaced Persons Resilience and Surviving Strategies in Bamenda Town

Abstract

Global displacement has increasingly become a protracted challenge of international concern, driven by the persistent escalation of civil wars, armed conflicts, and terrorism with limited prospects for lasting solutions. These dynamics have significantly increased the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are forcibly uprooted from their homes and compelled to seek refuge in urban areas where they struggle to sustain their livelihoods. In Cameroon, the ongoing socio-political crisis in the Northwest Region has transformed Bamenda into a major destination for IDPs originating from various affected localities. These displaced populations settle within the urban milieu and engage in diverse income-generating activities to ensure survival. Despite their growing presence, limited scholarly attention has been given to their places of origin, socio-demographic characteristics, and adaptive strategies necessary for key stakeholders’ interventions. This study seeks to identify the characteristics and origin of IDPs and to examine the various resilience and survival strategies of IDPs in Bamenda town. Data were collected through key informant interviews (n=6), focus group discussions (n=4), and a structured questionnaire developed and administered using snowball non-probability sampling techniques to IDPs (n=250). The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0 and Excel 2022. The result revealed that IDPs originate from all seven divisions in the Northwest, with the highest from Momo (18.40%), and the least from Menchum (6.80%). The gender characteristics of IDPs show less variation (46.8% males and 53.3% females). It was also identified that IDPs do not live in camps, but within the host communities (97%), while some live in isolated dwellings (1.2%). A dominant proportion live in single rented rooms (46%), with at least 3-4 IDPs living in a single room (63.2%) of moderate and low-quality housing with limited access to basic needs like water, good sanitary conditions, and electricity. The findings further revealed that IDPs are engaged in diverse livelihood income streams for survival, dominated by petty trading (80%). Further studies should evaluate the challenges faced by IDPs in Bamenda based on their displacement from different localities. Supportive stakeholders’ interventions are recommended to strengthen IDPs' resilience and survival within the Bamenda urbanscape.