Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chichester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Cameroon about ensuring the legal protection of (1) human rights defenders, and (2) civil society activists, in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, including the disturbing reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces. In a visit to Cameroon in March, the previous Minister for Africa met President Biya, Prime Minister Ngute and Foreign Minister Mbella Mbella, where he set out the UK's commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution.
We work in conjunction with international partners, such as France and the United States, to raise the crisis in multilateral fora. The UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights set out at the UN Human Rights Council on 26 February that the violence must end and urgent, impartial investigations must hold the perpetrators to account. At the UN Security Council briefing on UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) on 7 June, the UK reiterated the UN Secretary General's call for an end to violence and for all actors to refrain from attacks against civilians, including human rights defenders and civil society activists.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chichester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Cameroon's non-governmental organisation registration directive on the ability of international and local humanitarian and civil society groups to operate in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to support the work of international and local humanitarian and civil society groups in Cameroon, where the UK has called for unimpeded humanitarian access and open civil society engagement. The UK's representative reiterated these calls at the UN Security Council briefing on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa in June. Alongside others in the diplomatic community and the UN, the British High Commission in Yaoundé continues to advocate for access.
According to the recent registration directive in Cameroon, only international NGOs have been required to submit a set of documents including their acts of authorisation for review by the authorities. Following a coordinated request from international actors, the Ministry has since agreed to extend the deadline by a further two months. The British High Commission will continue to monitor this development, and to take appropriate actions if necessary.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chichester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in Cameroon.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government remains concerned about the humanitarian situation throughout Cameroon. In the Far North region, where there are 322,000 internally displaced people, 115,000 Nigerian refugees, and 380,000 people are food insecure, the UK is providing almost £3 million of humanitarian funding through our partners. In the North-West and South-West regions, where 1.15 million people suffer from food insecurity, the UK is providing around £2 million of humanitarian funding.
We regularly discuss the crisis with the Government of Cameroon. During the previous Minister for Africa's visit to the country in March, he met project partners to witness the impact of UK aid and called for unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need. The UK's representative reiterated these calls at the UN Security Council briefing on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa in June. The British High Commission in Yaoundé, alongside the diplomatic community and the UN, continues to advocate for humanitarian access.