The Spatial Occupation of Central Africans and Public Integration Policies in the Urban Community of Douala (Cameroon)

From the 1960s onward, the Central African Republic, like some former French territories, experienced political and economic crises as newly independent states. Migration at this time emerged as one of the responses to poverty for its people. Thus, Central African migration to Cameroon resulted from the successive wars that took place in the Central African Republic. Once in Cameroon, Central African nationals faced the reality of urban migration, which led them to settle in capital cities. Douala was one of the preferred destinations in the search for a better life. However, the analysis of socio-economic integration in this study encompasses the socio-economic integration policies of the Douala urban community. To this end, the study adopts a socio-historical approach, employing a mixed-methods methodology that includes both quantitative and qualitative data. Four groups of Central African nationals are the subject of this analysis: legal residents, refugees, asylum seekers and students. Their experiences during the period 2003 to 2020, as seen through the lens of labor market institutions, housing, health, and education, were assessed in comparison to those of Cameroonian urban dwellers, in light of the Douala urban community's public integration policies. The study's main findings show that living conditions are similar for these Cameroonians and Central Africans. However, legal Central Africans appear to integrate better into Douala than other categories of Central Africans, while refugees benefit from the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.