The number of Central African refugees in Cameroon is estimated at 332,000, and Gédéon, 31, has long been counted among them. After graduating from high school, he prepared for the start of the academic year in 2012, but the second civil war broke out in the Central African Republic in December. The government and its politico-military opponents clashed and the ensuing violence forced hundreds of thousands of Central Africans to flee.

"I lived in the PK5 neighborhood at the time. During the first coup d'état that saw Michel Djotodia become president, my predominantly Muslim neighborhood was the starting point for individuals who committed abuses in other neighborhoods. Gédéon explains.

The house where he lives with his family is quickly destroyed, he loses 'big brothers', childhood friends who some of whom joined the rebellion and his dreams of being a footballer. Worse, he no longer feels safe. "I was worried that if the situation were to turn around, we Christians would be targeted. I felt that my life would be in danger if something went wrong in the neighborhood. All these reasons pushed me to leave the country. ", adds the young man.

He then embarked on a long journey to Cameroon where he resumed his life from scratch. Gédéon entered eastern Cameroon by bus and arrived via Garoua-Boulai, passed through the Nandoungue camp and was then relocated to the Guiwa-Yangamo camp, a few kilometers from the city of Bertoua, 350 km from Yaoundé.

"To survive, in the camp, I did field work during the day and in the evening I managed a video game room on behalf of a gentleman in a nearby village, before going back to sleep. We were a bit far from the city, and getting work there was difficult. " says Gédéon, who also relies on UNHCR's food ration at the end of each month.

It consists of oil, rice, sardines, and salt in addition to soaps, blankets, and sleeping mats. Despite the harsh living conditions in the Guiwa-Yangamo refugee camp, he says he did not lose hope, which is when he heard about the DAFI program, the German Academic Initiative "Albert Einstein" for refugees.

To benefit from this scholarship, one must pass a competitive examination and be selected among the best students to pursue higher education in their host country.

"I was selected from more than 300 applicants to go to university in Yaoundé. Thanks to the DAFI scholarship, I was able to continue my higher education until I obtained my professional degree in Human Resources Management, I then did internships before working in an HR Consulting Firm in Cameroon. ».

Other doors then opened for Gédéon, notably through the UNIV'R university corridor program, of which he has been a beneficiary since 2023, and which allows him to continue his Master's studies at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. The young man says he is gaining valuable experience before he can return to his country, to work with the authorities so that young people contribute to the development of the Central African Republic.

Another of his main motivations is to address what he describes as a lack of adequate benchmarks, role models and activities for vulnerable children exposed to manipulation and recruitment into rebel movements. While waiting to carry out these projects, Gédéon recalls the importance of offering adapted socio-professional training opportunities, as UNHCR is doing, by promoting durable solutions to the problems of refugees.

His inspiring journey is also a call to create an environment conducive to their autonomy, while encouraging them to remain resilient in the face of adversity. "It is very important for all those who have lived through difficult moments of armed conflict and who have subsequently managed to overcome all this, to be able to return to contribute to the change of mentality of the youngest in order to prevent future generations from going through the same thing as us," says Gédéon. 

These inspiring words are directly aligned with the objectives of the Support Platform for Solutions in CAR, which was launched in October 2023 in Bangui with the support of the European Union’s International Partnerships Directorate (DG INTPA). Thanks to this coordination mechanism, RCA and asylum countries for refugees from CAR have produced national action plans to deliver on solutions for CAR refuges and internally displaced persons. 2024 will be the year of the concrete solutions for them with the leadership of signatory governments of the Yaoundé Declaration and a strong support from the Platform and its supporting partners.