The Minister Counselor at the French Embassy in Cameroon has
rejected claims and accusations that his Country France is fanning the flames
of the ongoing Anglophone crisis in the North West and South West regions.
Philippe Larrieu who is also the security officer at the
French Embassy was speaking in Bamenda during consultative talks on the current
crisis with religious authorities and some members of the civil society.
Challenged by the first group made up of Priest of the Roman
Catholic Church France’s silence on the crisis and rumoured presence of French
troops in the country for the crisis, the French embassy emissary detailed that
after the arrival of immediate past French President Francoise Hollande, achieves in his country have now been opened
for consultation. While he was consulting the achieves, Philippe explained the
he stumbled on correspondences from the then French Consoles General requesting
several facilities for the development of the then West Cameroon. According to
the diplomat, if the French government did not wish well for West Cameroon that
would not have happened. He noted that
clear differences in infrastructural and
social development between East and West Cameroon during the pre-independent
area was also very preoccupied adding that his country had it as an obligation
to ensure equitable distribution of development most importantly in the areas
of agriculture and social welfare.
He however did not comment on the silence of the French
government on the crisis but on the presence of French troops rejected a suggestion that they were French
troops anywhere in the NW or SW stating that they have only 14 military
officials in Cameroon all based in Yaounde with specific responsibilities on
directives.
Very similar preoccupations came during the Diplomat’s
meeting with the Cameroon’s Teachers Trade Union though their meeting was
focused more on the state of education in the regions concerned and then the
consumer organizations in the region, The Minister Counselor revealed that France
was not amongst the highest exporters to Cameroon and so could not be accused
of making money from Cameroonians. On loans the French Security official also
noted that for all the projects they have been funding in Cameroon has only a
one percent interest rate with five years of grace while other countries give
loans to Cameroon at about nine per cent. According to him these countries with
high interest rates and no period of grace are the ones milking Cameroon dry.
He however placed the issue on governance and not his country France.
According to Rev Fr Tata Mbuy Director of communications in
the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the discussions were frank with the French diplomat
exceptionally open and educative with the readiness to also learn and accept
the issues revealed to him.
Semma Valentine Secretary General of the Cameroon Teachers
Trade Union CATTU described the talks as fruitful and frank with the possible
of getting a solution to the crisis. It should however be noted that during the
meeting between the diplomat and CATTU it was made clear that school attendance
was only an issue for urban areas for both primary and secondary. In relative
terms school attendance in the region was generally placed at less than 25%
despite the efforts made.
At the close of the meeting that also featured proposals for
the way forward as reported in yesterday’s edition, the Diplomat concluded with
his country’s position on the crisis which has always been genuine dialogue and
respect for human rights.