Cameroon needs urgent dialogue, human rights to solve Anglophone crisis – U.K.

The British Foreign Affairs Chief, Boris Johnson, has reiterated the United Kingdom’s call for dialogue in solving the political and security crisis in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions.

Johnson’s views were made when he met Prime Minister Philemon Yang on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London.

After holding what he described as important talks with the Premier who represented President Paul Biya, Johnson added: “Urgent need to pursue dialogue, decentralisation and respect human rights in Anglophone Regions as President Paul Biya has previously committed. “

He stressed that the UK will support peace, prosperity and security for its friends in Cameroon. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a security alert in place for the Anglophone regions – NorthWest and SouthWest – cautioning citizens against travel to those areas.

The security situation in the region has been chaotic for the better part of this year in an armed confrontation that started in October 2017. Separatists under the banner of the so-called Ambazonia republic attempted to secede from Cameroon and were met with heavy security crackdown.

President Biya is on record to have said that dialogue was the only way out but very little has been done in that respect. The last time dialogue came up, it was by Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji, who stressed that the government was only going to speak with persons seeking a united country.

Important talks with Cameroon PM Yang at #OurCommonwealth summit. Urgent need to pursue dialogue, decentralisation and respect #humanrights in Anglophone Regions as PR_Paul_BIYA has previously committed. UK will support peace, prosperity and security for our friends in Cameroon pic.twitter.com/YgkMDVRzoU

— Boris Johnson (BorisJohnson) April 19, 2018