A devastating fire has swept through a camp hosting thousands of Internally Displaced Persons in Kolofata, Mayo-Sava Division of Cameroon’s Far North Region, plunging already vulnerable families into fresh distress.
The blaze broke out on Saturday, February 7, and spread rapidly across the densely
populated settlement. Within hours, more than 3,500 makeshift shelters were destroyed, leaving families with nothing but ashes where their homes and belongings once stood.
At least one person was reported dead in the incident, compounding the suffering of a community already battered by years of insecurity and extreme poverty linked to the ongoing conflict with Boko Haram.
Local sources say residents were overwhelmed by the speed and intensity of the fire, with little or no means to contain the flames as they tore through large sections of the camp.
Most of the affected residents are women, children, and elderly persons who had fled violence in the Lake Chad Basin area. Following the fire, they are now without shelter, food, or basic necessities and urgently need humanitarian assistance.
