To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Cameroon on the (a) treatment of the Anglophone minority and (b) protection of (i) civilians and (ii) human rights in that country.
Answered on
19 November 2021
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, including the disturbing reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces. We continue to raise the crisis with representatives of the Government of Cameroon, including through our High Commission in Yaounde, as well as within multilateral fora. My predecessor visited Cameroon in March and met President Biya, Prime Minister Ngute and Foreign Minister Mbella Mbella to push for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. HMG also urges the Government of Cameroon to engage fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. At the UN Security Council in June, the UK's Permanent Representative reiterated the UN Secretary General's call for the violence to end and for all actors to stop attacks against civilians. At the UN Human Rights Council in September, the UK called for an end to violence and impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. We have since reiterated these calls in our engagements with the Government of Cameroon.