Being a Central African officer and a refugee in Cameroon
Innocent Mordert, 40 years old, is a Logistics Officer for the Cameroon mission. This Central African was born in Paoua, in the north of the country, and began his professional career in the Central African Republic before fleeing from the country and joining Première Urgence Internationale’s mission in Cameroon. He talks about his career and his visit to the headquarters for the “Log Week”, a training session for the logistics officers who work in the field that took place at Asnières-sur-Seine in June.
A LOGISTICS CENTRAFRICAN OFFICER ACCUSTOMED TO BORDERS
I come from the Central African Republic. After my studies, I worked as a manager for a goods import-export society between the Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroun, and Congo-Brazaville. I used to cross the border frequently, I then knew the borders very well, the area and the security context. That is what gave me the willing to work in the humanitarian field. I got hired in 2007 while Première Urgence Internationale’s mission was opening in the North of the country due to the Central African crisis, I was one of the first members of the national team. I got hired as a distributorship inspector and then as a chief team. I took care of the registration of the beneficiaries and I ensured the distributions of food items.
I became the assistant of the program officer who had to identify, to organize and to plan the distributions for a total of 6300 beneficiaries in the administrative subdivision of Paoua in 2009.
TARGETED BY ATTACKS BECAUSE I WAS A MUSLIM
In 2010, I joined Bangui and I became responsible for the supply of the mission. I stayed at this job position until 2012 and I took care of the material routage follow-up to the basis. From 2012 to 2014, I then became a logistics coordinator assistant, still for Première Urgence Internationale in the Central African Republic.
But in 2014, the security situation became more complicated. I got targeted by attacks due to the fact that I am from a muslin confession. The gougers entered our home three times and threatened us, saying that they would hurt us. Eventually they took some goods. With my wife, we decided to leave the country because it had become too dangerous. I left as a refugee in Cameroon. A free logistics assistant job position was suggested to me. My family joined me a few times later.
I then became a “flying” logistics officer in March 2016. “Flying” means that I bring a support to basis, that I infill the lack of personal on the mission where a logistics officer is missing, I bring a support to the different basis on the Cameroon mission (Batouri, Ngaoundéré, Kousséri, Maroua).
I have a strong capacity of adaptation to people, to projects, to the various needs, this is what allowed me to occupy this post until nowadays.
A TRAINING WEEK IN LOGISTICS
I am very glad to have been invited to this training week. For me, it’s a sign of appreciation towards my experience. I have never thought of coming to France one day. The fact that I was got involved in this week was very symbolic for me.
I appreciate speaking with my colleagues from other missions at Première Urgence Internationale’s headquarters in Asnières-sur-Seine. I am delighted to meeting former collaborators who worked for the Cameroon and the Central African Republic missions. Furthermore, it is important to put logistics forwards. It is an essential sector for the well-functioning of the humanitarian intervention. The logistics officer is the guarantor of procurement operations. We handle the field’s supply in material, but also with cars, laptops for the employees, in medication and in alimentary goods for the beneficiaries. This job overspreads many domains.
