President Paul Biya, on Thursday held his first cabinet
meeting since 2015 and on the back of a recent reshuffle. The event took place
at the Unity Palace in the capital Yaounde.
According
to a statement on the website of the presidency, Biya’s address to his
appointees centered around security, decentralization, upcoming elections and
the hosting of the African Cup of Nations among other issues.
There
was no explanation as to why he called the session and no other officials were
permitted to speak about what went on in the conclave.
Portions
of Biya’s address focusing on security said the government was winning the
fight to secure the country’s Anglophone regions and the Far North – which is
riled by incessant attacks from the Boko Haram group.
“Thanks
to the firm action of our defence and security forces, we have been able to
drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the Far
North, North-West and South-West Regions.
“Efforts
in that regard need to be continued, especially to ensure that economic and
social activities return to normalcy,” he added.
The
president had told his cabinet that “the best way to serve the country is to do
everything, to make all the sacrifices that are needed,” the prime minister
said.
“There
are a lot of things to do,” Biya had added, singling out the Africa Cup of
Nations annual soccer tournament that Cameroon is to host next year, and the
presidential election in October this year.
Biya has
ruled the Central African nation since taking over from a retired predecessor
in 1982 and then winning six successive elections.
The
meeting came as Cameroon faces a violent separatist movement in its western
Anglophone region that a military crackdown has failed to quell. The rest of
Cameroon speaks French. In an apparent attempt to smooth it over, Biya
appointed two officials from the region to top positions earlier this month.
The
economy has been sluggish because of low prices for its main exports oil and
cocoa, and falling crude oil production. It was not by helped a shutdown in the
economy of its restive Western region, which before the first crackdown in 2016
was becoming an unlikely hub for start-up tech firms.
Cameroon
currently ranks 153rd on the U.N. Human Development Index, and average life
expectancy is 56.
At the
last council in October 2015, shortly after a sweeping reshuffle, Biya was
similarly pre-occupied by sport, according to local press reports. He ordered ministers to “accelerate
preparations for the important sports celebrations” that Cameroon was to host,
namely the men’s African Cup of Nations match next year and women’s one that
was held in 2016.
Outside
of such meetings, Biya often meets his ministers at the airport between private
trips abroad with his wife Chantal, famed locally for her luxurious dresses and
bouffant hairdo. Their favourite destination is Switzerland.
Source: Reuters
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