UK, France Declare S. Cameroons As No-Go Area
By Innocent Kum in Yaounde
The United Kingdom has cautioned its citizens in the
country to totally avoid travel to within 40km of the Cameroon’s borders with
Nigeria, Chad and Central African Republic.
In a
travel alert issued recently, the UK also warned its citizens from travelling
to the Bakassi Peninsula and specifically to the Ndian Division of the South
West region. For the other parts of the Anglophone region, the directive said
all but essential travel should be undertaken.
The
March 27 travel alert issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,FCO reads in part “the FCO now advise against all
travel to within 40km of the Cameroon/Nigeria border and Ndian division, and
against all but essential travel to the rest of the North West and most of the
South West regions; updated information on kidnaps and clashes in the North
West and South West regions.”
The alert also cautions against all but Cameroon’s
borders with Gabon and Congo.
It specifically
mentioned Kupé-Manengouba, Lebialem, Manyu and Meme divisions in South West
region and the rest of North, North West and Adamawa regions as places that
citizens should be careful when going to.
“The FCO
recounted the March 2018 kidnapping of Tunisian and Cameroonians workers which
rescue operation led to the death of a Tunisian. They also related recent armed
exchanges between suspected separatists and security forces.
“Kidnaps
of Cameroon officials have been reported in the North West and South West
regions. There have also been multiple exchanges of fire between the
Cameroonian security forces and armed groups over the past few months in some
towns and villages in the North West and South West regions.
“This follows violent and deadly clashes between
demonstrators and the Cameroonian security forces in the North West and South
West regions in September and October 2017. Restrictions including night
curfews, a ban on public meetings and other restrictions remain in place,” the
statement added.
The
travel alert by the UK, follows a similar one issued by the French and USA
embassies in recently. The French Ambassador to Cameroon, Giles Thibaut tweeted
on Monday that the Anglophone regions were a ‘no-go area’ for French nationals.
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