Anglophone Crisis:

UK Parliament Urge Biya to Dialogue

By Innocent Kum in Yaounde

Theresa May: UK Prime Minister

Members of parliament in the United Kingdom, UK House of Common, have urged their government to pressure the Biya regime to engage dialogue with agitating Anglophones in order to end current socio-political tensions in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

            The pressure is being mounted by some fifteen MPs from the Conservative, Labour, Scottish National, Paid Cymu and Democratic Unionist parties.

            In the motion tabled last Wednesday, the lawmakers have condemned violence perpetrated by security forces in the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

             “That this House condemns the violence and state oppression imposed by the Government of Cameroon in the Anglophone regions of the country” the MPs said in the motion while highlighting with regret that over 20,000 refugees from Cameroon have been registered by the UNHCR in their camps across the border in Nigeria.

            They said “ we acknowledge reports that an estimated 1,000 people have been detained and 100 people shot for opposing the Government's oppression of the English-speaking community, notes that the Government of Cameroon responded to peaceful protests in 2017 by closing borders to the Anglophone regions and deploying the Army's Rapid Intervention Brigade, further condemns the Government of Cameroon for its decision to use force and appeals for a peaceful solution to be found, and calls on the UK Government to press the Government in Cameroon to open talks with Anglophone leaders.”

            The outing by the UK lawmakers last week comes less than a month after 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 PM 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.

Meanwhile at the start of last week, the the Anglophone crisis was brought up for debate in the UK’s House of Commons.

            It was Member of Parliament, MP Jessica Morden, of the Labour Party from Newport East, who raised the issued requesting answers over the security crisis and the resultant refugee crisis in Cameroon.

            Her question directed to the British Minister for Africa, Harriet Baldwin, also demanded ‘a meaningful process to address the issue and to end the violence.’

            In response, Baldwin reiterated UK’s stance that there was the need for cessation of violence by parties and more than anything for the process of inclusive dialogue given that key polls are slated for later this year.

            “I am delighted Mr. Speaker that she has managed to get this important issue on the Order Paper and for discussion here in the House of Commons because it is a serious situation, there is violence from all sides in Cameroon, we are extremely concerned about the situation,” the British minister said.

            “...and we are encouraging the government and all Cameroonians to participate in the process of inclusive dialogue. It’s an election year and this must take place without resorting to violence” the British diplomat added.