Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth Affairs, what support is being made available to Anglophone citizens of Cameroon.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Department for International Development supports the education, health and agriculture sectors across Cameroon through regional programmes and multilateral partners. The British Government does not provide specific support to Anglophone citizens. Our High Commissioner in Yaoundé has been following events in the Anglophone regions closely and has actively raised the need for dialogue and restraint with the Cameroonian authorities, including their obligations under international law in respect to human rights. We continue to call for restraint, for all parties to reject violence, pursue dialogue and urgently take action to reduce tensions.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on a Communique sent to the Anglophone population of Southern Cameroon on its being required to evacuate its villages.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The United Kingdom understands that a Communiqué was issued by the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Manyu District (South-West Region) on 1 December ordering villagers to relocate to safer neighbourhoods. The High Commissioner in Yaoundé is following events in the Anglophone regions closely and has actively raised the need for dialogue and restraint with the Cameroonian authorities, including their obligations under international law in respect to human rights. We continue to call for restraint, for all parties to reject violence, pursue peaceful, inclusive and purposeful dialogue, and urgently take action to reduce tensions.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has offered the English-speaking community in Cameroon in light of recent protests in that country.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government is deeply concerned by reports of deaths and injuries in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, including reports that civilians were killed or injured by the security services during recent protests.
I released a statement on 4 October expressing the Government's deep concern at the situation, urging restraint and calling on all parties to reject violence and to enter into dialogue to find urgent solutions to Anglophone grievances.
Our High Commission in Yaoundé has been following events in the Anglophone regions closely and has met with opposition groups to discuss the challenges facing the country. Our High Commissioner has raised the need for dialogue, and for restraint with the Cameroonian authorities, underlining the importance of their obligations under international human rights law. He reiterated these points to Prime Minister Philémon Yang on 27 September and 10 October; to the Minister of Communication on 9 October; to the Minister of Defence, Director-General of Intelligence, and the Minister for Higher Education on 10 October; and the Minister for External Relations on 11 October. He put forward the United Kingdom's concerns in television interviews on 9 and 10 October.
The situation in Cameroon remains tense, and we urge the Cameroonian Government to accept the United Nations' offer of help to support dialogue with the Anglophone community.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the political and humanitarian situation in Southern Cameroons; and what action they are taking, (1) bilaterally, (2) multilaterally through the UN, (3) through the Commonwealth, and (4) with EU partners, to defuse the tensions threatening the security and stability of that region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is deeply concerned by reports of deaths and injuries in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, including reports that 17 civilians were killed by the security services and many more injured. The situation appears to have calmed down since 1 October.
The Minister for Africa released a statement on 4 October expressing the Government’s deep concern, urging restraint, and calling on all parties to reject violence and to enter into dialogue to find urgent solutions to Anglophone grievances.
The High Commissioner in Yaoundé has been following events in the Anglophone regions closely. He has raised the need for dialogue and restraint with the Cameroonian authorities. He met with Prime Minister Philémon Yang on 27 September and 10 October, the Minister of Communication on 9 October, the Minister of Defence, Director General of Intelligence, and the Minister of Higher Education on 10 October, and the Minister of External Relations on 11 October. He also reiterated the United Kingdom’s concerns in television interviews on 9 and 10 October.
The situation in Cameroon remains tense, and we urge the Cameroonian Government to accept the United Nations’ offer of help to support dialogue with the Anglophone community.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to encourage the Government of Cameroon to restore peace and democracy to the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission Yaoundé is closely following the situation in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon following the demonstrations and strikes by lawyers and teachers. We are engaged with the Government of Cameroon and will continue to raise our concerns with them.
We have called for restraint by all involved, including in the use of force. We have reiterated the obligation to uphold human rights standards and encouraged the use of transparent legal means to address concerns. We have regularly called for issues to be resolved through broad-based dialogue, with a range of interlocutors, and a return to normality in the two regions.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the government has had with the governments of (a) Cameroon and (b) other countries on the political situation in Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission Yaoundé is closely following the situation in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon following on from the demonstrations and strikes by lawyers and teachers. We are engaged with the Government of Cameroon and will continue to raise this with them and other key international partners.
We have called for restraint by all involved, including in the use of force. We have reiterated the obligation to uphold human rights standards and encouraged the use of transparent legal means to address concerns. We have regularly called for issues to be resolved through broad-based dialogue, with a range of interlocutors, and a return to normality in the two regions.