Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Cameroon; and what steps his Department is taking to help protect human rights in that country.

During my visit to Cameroon from 12 to 14 February, I held talks with The Prime Minister, and the Ministers of External Relations, Territorial Administration, and Defence. I discussed the threat posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin, as well as the ongoing tensions in Cameroon's Anglophone regions where the importance of respecting human rights was reinforced. I urged the Government of Cameroon to pursue an inclusive and purposeful dialogue to address Anglophone grievances, and also met a range of Anglophone leaders in Buea, to hear their concerns.