Interview with Yosra Nagui Saad – Head of the ICRC’s subdelegation in Buea, Cameroon

1.    In a few words, tell us about yourself. Which country do you come from? What was your professional journey before joining the ICRC? 
I’m Egyptian–Swiss. I studied political science and development studies. I started my career working with human rights organizations. Afterwards I transitioned to peace mediation and multilateral diplomacy for four years, before joining the ICRC.

2.    When did you join the ICRC and what has been your career progression since then? 
My first assignment, in 2019, was as a delegate based in Baghdad, Iraq. I was there for over a year, focusing on the ICRC’s work on behalf of detainees. Afterwards, I had a short assignment in Mali, as a protection delegate. Then, in June 2021, I was supposed to transfer to Yaoundé, Cameroon. But, instead, on my first day I was asked to cover Buea (in the Southwest Region of Cameroon), temporarily, for operational reasons. The moment I arrived here in Buea, met the great team, saw the work they were doing and understood what was going on, I knew I’d be happy to stay: first as a protection delegate, then as acting head of subdelegation, and since October 2021, as the head of Buea subdelegation.  A year and a half later, I’m finishing up my assignment, having started in one capacity and ended in a completely different one. 
It was quite an experience. The work was highly demanding but extremely interesting, whether in terms of management, networking, creating acceptance and building trust, or supervising the ICRC’s protection and assistance programmes. 

3.    Working as the head of subdelegation in Buea, what does a typical day look like?
It’s safe to say there’s no “typical” day in this role. I manage a wide range of daily tasks with a lot of autonomy, which is what makes this job so unique, interesting and varied. My days include a lot of meetings and networking with external contacts, such as authorities and weapon bearers, as well as exchanges with the various teams in the subdelegation supervising operations, field activities, analysing the context and managing security. I also follow up on HR and other team management responsibilities. And then there’s the troubleshooting because almost every day there’s something new coming up. 

4.    What motivated you to take on a role in Cameroon and what has kept you going since your first day here? 
Previously, I’d mainly worked in North Africa and the Middle East, so I wanted an experience in a different context. After Mali, I was offered the chance to come to Cameroon, and when I learned about the situation and the focus of the work, I was intrigued. What has kept me going is a combination of seeing how much there is to do – because people’s basic needs are not being met – and the tangible impact that the ICRC’s very pragmatic operations here are having – and the potential to increase that impact. The work here is at the heart of ICRC’s mandate: reinforcing the protection of communities by increasing the awareness of the law and of humanitarian principles and responding to urgent humanitarian needs. In addition, the amazing team here in Buea is a key source of motivation and success. (And on a personal note, the region is very beautiful).

5.    What makes you say and feel that your work in Cameroon is impactful?
The situation in the English-speaking region of Cameroon isn’t widely known, so there’s not as much of a humanitarian presence as in other contexts, despite the very wide gap between what people need and what they can access. So, I really feel that everything we do has an impact in trying to improve critical situations. And it illustrates just how important the ICRC’s work is, because it doesn’t depend on the spotlight but on where the needs are. 
Operationally, Buea is a really interesting subdelegation, because as a protection delegate, I was working on a variety of issues, such as reinforcing protections for civilians, and on Restoring Family Links. As head of the subdelegation, I've been focusing on access negotiation and dialogue, security management and supervising the different teams of the ICRC’s work and how they can come to-gether to make an impact on the ground, and knowing there’s potential for more. In some other contexts, you arrive and everything is already well-established, whereas in Buea, there is a lot of space to shape with the team the ICRC’s response and engage on its protection mandate, and I find that extremely interesting.

6.    Which assignments have left a lasting impression on you?  
“Rewarding” is a tough word in humanitarian work because you often feel that there’s more left to do. But I’ve been proud to see the team navigate very tough conditions and manage to have a direct impact on people’s lives in different areas. Whether this came through dialogue on protection, through restoring basic services, improving people’s livelihoods, or reuniting a family, each of them has been a special moment. 

7.    What have been the main challenges you’ve faced working in Cameroon and how did you overcome them? 
On Sunday, August 22, 2021, our friend and colleague Diomède Nzobambona, water and habitat (WatHab) delegate based in Bamenda, was attacked and killed by armed men while walking through the streets of the city. We were all deeply shocked and devastated by his loss. Even if the incident didn’t occur in the area where I was based, it makes you question everything. With strong team solidarity, an in-depth review of security measures in the delegation, and mental health support, the teams managed to continue our humanitarian mission, knowing that Diomède’s memory will always be with us.
Like elsewhere as well, the space afforded to humanitarian work is shrinking. Humanitarian neutrality is not always well understood, and sometimes not even accepted.  There is often a deep conflation also between neutrality as a value and tool for humanitarian response and as a political position. In the recent year, some humanitarian organizations have experienced serious constraints, which has made it harder to bring support to those who desperately need it. The sub delegation’s key objective has thus been to ensure a consistent dialogue with everyone involved and explain the ICRC mandate, in order to gain acceptance and be able to serve the persons in need securely. And today, I'm glad of where we are in Buea in this regard.

8.    How does the ICRC help ensure your safety and security in the field?
One of the fundamentals of the ICRC’s security management is that security is everyone’s responsibility – it’s not delegated to one position. With this mindset, decisions regarding the security of staff are informed, because everyone involved contributes to it. In addition, all staff complete obligatory training courses on security. As a manager, I also received training on applying the security management methodology to the subdelegation. There is no such thing as zero risk in our job, but the mechanisms in place ensure that risk is mitigated, and we know how to respond. Starting as head of sub-delegation as the delegation was reviewing its security measures also meant that it was a moment to ensure that all risks are well understood and to frame security management in a manner that puts staff at the heart of every operational decision. 

9.    What qualities, skills or competencies do you think are critical to be successful as an ICRC mobile staff member? 
A lot of different skill sets are needed, so I wouldn’t limit it to one kind of profile. However, some elements that are critical are to believe in what you are doing and keep sight of the end goal even when there are a lot of obstacles, to be able to handle pressure, and to have a high sense of emotional intelligence. And of course, be flexible, a team player, and analytical. A sense of humour can help sometimes as well.

10.    What advice would you give fellow humanitarian professionals who are interested in joining the ICRC and taking assignments in similar contexts?  
I would recommend they speak with people who have been on similar assignments. Working for the ICRC is a unique life experience. If you have the passion and skills mentioned above, I’d say go for it.