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.

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.