COPING WITH SETTLER STATUS: THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC'S REFUGEES IN CAMEROON

ABSTRACT: The African continent has experienced many conflicts since the 1960s when most of the countries in the continent attained independence from colonial rule that lasted close to seven decades. These conflicts range from ritualized vendettas of tribal societies to the revolutionary guerillas of modern times. The excitement that greeted Africa’s independence soon dissipated as the continent got engulfed in civil wars. These civil wars produced many refugees that migrated into neighboring relatively peaceful countries. Between 2002-2016, the Central African Republic was involved in a civil war that forced the victims to migrate to neighboring countries including Cameroon. The paper identifies the areas in Cameroon where the CAR refugees settled, examined the difficulties they encountered and are encountering and their resilience strategies. It argues that the migrants and the indigenous people of Cameroon have impacted each other through social integration and other resilience factors that have enabled these refugees to cope in Cameroon. The study is based on the use of primary sources such as interviews that were carried out in their areas of refuge. The responses were carefully analyzed using the historiographical method of corroboration of facts. Archival materials were also used in addition. Also, secondary sources such as books articles in international and local journals were consulted and keenly analyzed to arrive at its conclusions. Keywords: Migrant, resilience, conflict, settlers, refugees.