UN slams Cameroon over refugee crisis

The UN has criticised Cameroon for the forced return of hundreds of refugees to north-east Nigeria after they had fled from the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency. BBC News reports that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said forced returns had ‘continued unabated’ despite an agreement earlier this month. In terms of the deal, any returns would be voluntary and only ‘when conditions were conducive’. According to the UNHCR, more than 2 600 refugees have been forcibly returned to Nigeria. Many are unable to go back to their villages in Borno state for security reasons and have ended up in camps for displaced people.