Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Cameroonian counterpart on steps to permit international agency access to Anglophone separatist leaders extradited from Nigeria.

During my visit to Cameroon in February, I pressed the Prime Minister and the Government of Cameroon to allow access by an independent and reputable agency such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to all detainees, including those extradited from Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary and I also pressed for access during bilateral meetings at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting with the Cameroonian Prime Minister and Commonwealth Minister respectively. I further pressed for access with the Secretary General to the President when he visited London and also in a letter to President Biya following my visit. More recently, a statement was made by the UK at the UNHCHR in Geneva. We continue to engage with the Government of Cameroon at Ministerial and official levels for access to be granted.