Cameroonian President To Convene National Dialogue To Resolve Crisis Around Ambazonia

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2019) Cameroonian President Paul Biya on Tuesday said a national dialogue will be convened in late September to find ways to resolve the crisis around Ambazonia, an unrecognized entity within the country.

Ambazonia is an unrecognized entity in the southwestern Cameroon with a predominantly English-speaking population. It was a part of Southern Cameroons, once a UK-controlled territory. In 1961, it gained independence from the United Kingdom and united with the French-speaking Republic of Cameroon. Since the 1990s, separatists have been ruling this region.

"I have decided to convene a large national dialogue starting from the end of this month, which will allow us to explore ways and means under our constitution to respond to the deep aspirations of the people of the Northwest and Southwest, as well as all segments of our people," Biya said, as quoted by Journal du Cameroun.

In October 2017, separatists proclaimed the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and formed an interim government in exile, headed by Ayuk Tabe. The Cameroonian government later proclaimed that the separatist declaration had legal grounds. In November 2017 Biya declared war on Ambazonia.