Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he will take to work with partners at the UN and the African Union to support renewed talks between the government of Cameroon and Anglophone separatist rebels; and what steps he is taking to support the full participation of women in peacebuilding in the north west and south west regions of Cameroon.

The UK Government is working with the Government of Cameroon and international partners to help resolve the Anglophone crisis and respond to its impacts, including through development and humanitarian support. We are supportive of dialogue initiatives seeking to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

We continue to call for an end to the violence, alongside multilateral partners like the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. At the UN Human Rights Council in March, the UK pressed for impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights abuses to account. We have also urged the Government of Cameroon to remain engaged with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The UK Government's programming in Cameroon is supporting female activists, including our contribution to the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) programme. The WMC provides training, advocacy and support to mobilise women participate in peace discussions and dialogue.