Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the degree of engagement of the (1) Commonwealth, and (2) UN, in (a) resolving the tensions in Cameroon between Anglophone and Francophone communities, and (b) alleviating the conditions of internally displaced persons and refugees fleeing that conflict.

The British Government remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, which is affecting both Anglophone and Francophone communities. These regions suffer from high levels of violence, which has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

We continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Cameroon, and discuss in multilateral fora including the Commonwealth and the United Nations (UN). We welcome the joint visit to Cameroon in November 2019 by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Secretary-General of La Francophonie and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The three leaders urged the Government of Cameroon to make every effort to restore security, justice and the conditions for the resumption of normal life in the regions affected by the crisis. The UK also welcomes the efforts of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) in its ongoing work to monitor peace and security developments in the country, and engagement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who visited Cameroon in May 2019. We urge continued cooperation between the Government of Cameroon and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The UK continues to call for inclusive dialogue which addresses the root causes of the crisis. We have made a £2 million contribution to the UN response, supporting 34,000 people with essential supplies, such as mosquito nets, hygiene kits and nutrition support, and continue to call for unhindered humanitarian access to the affected population. The UK stands ready to support all credible peacebuilding initiatives and believes that the regional and wider international community has an integral role to play, including in responding to the growing humanitarian need.