UN Urges Armed Groups To Stop Violence In Western Cameroon

The UN High Commissioner for Humans Rights (OHCHR) expresses concern about growing use of violence by security forces and secessionist groups against the population in western Cameroon and urges them to stop the abuse, OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2018) The UN High Commissioner for Humans Rights (OHCHR) expresses concern about growing use of violence by security forces and secessionist groups against the population in western Cameroon and urges them to stop the abuse, OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We are deeply concerned about the worsening violence in the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon, as we continue to receive reports of abductions and killings by armed groups, as well as extrajudicial killings by State armed forces. We urge all sides to refrain from acts of violence that have, for more than a year now, left the population in these regions living in fear, unable to access their basic human rights," Shamdasani said.

She noted that at least 436,000 people had been internally displaced and more than 30,000 fled to Nigeria due to escalation of violence in Cameroon since September 2017. She also highlighted the willingness of OHCHR to work together with the government of Cameroon in order to address the issue.

Cameroon has been facing a separatism crisis in the country since last year. On October 1, 2017, activists from Cameroon's English-speaking regions proclaimed their independence from the country's French-speaking areas which resulted in violent protests. The declaration came on the anniversary of South Cameroon's independence from Britain in 1961.