Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Human Rights Watch report of abuses by Cameroon’s Battalion d'Intervention Rapide published in December 2021.

The UK is committed to working with regional allies in West Africa to tackle violence in the Lake Chad area. We directly work with Cameroonian forces on capacity building to tackle violent extremist groups in the Far North. Our training includes a focus on international human rights standards.

We are aware allegations of abuses attributed to the Battalion d'Intervention Rapide (BIR). We have emgaged with the BIR on this incident. The BIR recently reaffirmed assurances that any forces accused of human rights violations will be investigated and those found guilty will be punished. We will monitor the outcome of any investigation, and we are keeping our security cooperation in the Far North of Cameroon under constant review.