Accès à l’eau potable et recompositions sociales chez les refugies de gado-badzere (est-Cameroun)

Abstract

In order to meet the needs of Central African refugees who have fled armed conflict in their country, the United Nations and its partners have set up various infrastructures designed to improve the supply of drinking water in reception sites. However, despite the efforts of the Cameroonian government and humanitarian organizations, refugees in the Gado-Badzéré camp face a chronic shortage of drinking water. This situation is exacerbated by inadequate existing infrastructure and inefficient management of available resources. This research aims to analyze the interactions between the various actors in the network (human and non-human) as well as the recompositions of social ties that are developing within the refugee population in response to the difficulties of accessing drinking water in Gado-Badzéré. The main hypothesis put forward is that the recompositions of social ties observed around access to drinking water result from an imbalance between water supply and demand in the camp. To test this hypothesis, three theoretical frameworks were used. Bruno Latour's actor-network theory has been used to examine the interactions between human actors and infrastructure in water management. John Rawls' theory of social justice has served as a framework for analyzing equity in the distribution of water resources. Finally, the sociology of conflict approach has made it possible to interpret access to drinking water not only as a material constraint, but also as a space for negotiation, tension, and the reshaping of social relations, revealing inequalities, authority structures, and forms of solidarity between actors. The study is based on both a documentary analysis and a field survey of 101 people, including 97 refugees, 2 indigenous people, and 2 non-indigenous people, using individual questionnaires. In addition, 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted, including 15 with refugees and 2 with locals. The qualitative data was processed using content analysis, while the quantitative data was sorted using SPSS, JASP, and Excel software. The results highlight four main findings. Firstly, the available infrastructure (boreholes, taps, and wells) is insufficient to meet growing demand, leading to recurring shortages. Secondly, competition for access to water fuels tensions between refugees and, in some cases, with local populations. Thirdly, the deterioration in water quality, linked to infrastructure limitations, promotes the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Finally, the water crisis generates various recompositions of social ties, including inter- and intra-community conflicts, which profoundly influence social relations within and around the camp.