Inondations dans la commune de Yagoua: vulnérabilités sociales et stratégies de résilience des populations locales (extrême-nord Cameroun)

Abstract

This research focuses on : “flooding in the Yagoua municipality : social vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies of local populations (Far North Cameroon).” It falls within the scope of contributing to the sociological understanding of environmental disasters. The observation of recurrent flooding in the Yagoua municipality despite the existence of institutional risk management mechanisms in Cameroon has raised questions about the management of such phenomena and the resilience strategies adopted at the local level. The main research question structuring this study is as follows: how do floods affect the living conditions and frameworks of local populations in the Yagoua municipality? The main hypothesis posits that persistent flooding in Yagoua degrades infrastructure, disrupts subsistence activities, and deteriorates the living conditions of local populations. The general objective is to analyse the effects of persistent flooding on the living conditions and frameworks of local populations in Yagoua. The operationalisation of this hypothesis was carried out through two complementary theories: Nicholas Nassim Taleb’s theory of anti-fragility and Ulrich Beck’s theory of reflexive modernity. Data were obtained using semi-structured individual and group interviews, direct observation, and documentary research as collection tools. The field survey was conducted between June and July 2025 with a sample of 43 people selected through snowball sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Thematic content analysis was employed to process the collected data. The results obtained are as follows : Firstly, despite the existence of progressively developed institutional mechanisms for risk management, the vulnerability of populations remains high and is worsening. Secondly, populations perceive their social conditions as precarious and marked by multidimensional vulnerability that is socially differentiated according to gender, age, occupation, and geographical location. Thirdly, populations develop remarkable adaptation strategies supplemented by interventions from external actors, but these strategies remain limited in the face of the scale of the phenomenon. Finally, flooding induces profound social dynamics: weakening of traditional solidarities and emergence of new collective organisations, economic transformations that deepen inequalities, and territorial reconfigurations.