Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent events in the Cameroon, and of how many civilians have been killed in Belo; and what representations they have made to the government of Cameroon regarding such events.

We are aware of reports of clashes between armed groups and the Cameroonian security forces in Belo in April 2018. The UK is deeply concerned by reports of deaths in these clashes, however it is hard to establish the exact number of casualties. We call on the Government of Cameroon take all necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and to enter into a meaningful dialogue with the Anglophone community to address root causes. During her visit in February to Cameroon the Minister for Africa (Mrs Baldwin) met with the Prime Minister and the Ministers of External Relations, Territorial Administration, and Defence where they discussed the ongoing tensions in Cameroon's Anglophone regions. The Foreign Secretary met the Cameroonian Prime Minister during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and pressed for urgent action to resolve the dispute and associated violence.