By Bakah Derick
A letter signed by representatives of nine National and
Multinational Civil Society Organisations has been addressed to members of the
United Nations Security Council.
The letter which is also addressed to United
Nations Member States urges the concerned to call for mediated dialogue between
the parties to the crisis in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon ahead of the
October 7 Presidential elections.
HERE IS THE ENTIRE LETTER AND THE SIGNATORIES
Excellency,
We, the undersigned organisations, urge your government to call
for mediated dialogue between the parties to the crisis in the Anglophone regions
of Cameroon in advance of the October 7, 2018 Presidential Elections.
Over the past two years, the risks of atrocity and violence in
Cameroon have escalated rapidly. What began in 2016 as an Anglophone protest
movement led by lawyers, teachers, and civil society representatives in
response to their perceived marginalization has escalated into a political,
humanitarian, and human rights crisis. Government forces have arrested,
tortured, and killed civilians, imposed internet blackouts, and burned hundreds
of homes in several villages, while some Anglophone groups have declared
secession in the northwest and southwest regions, taken up arms against the
government, and used violence and intimidation in an effort to block students
from attending school.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has
estimated that the Anglophone crisis has displaced at least 160,000 people
since December 2017, while more than 21,000 others have been forced to seek
refuge across the border in Nigeria.
This week, at the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on Mediation
and Settlement of Disputes, countries took the opportunity to encourage the use
of mediation before situations become a threat to international peace and
security. Cameroon was highlighted as one such situation.
In response to these calls and within the context of the
Secretary-General's Prevention Agenda, the UN Security Council and UN
stakeholders should take urgent action to facilitate a mediated solution to
this conflict. In order to prevent the crisis in Cameroon from worsening, it is
vital that UN member states urgently call for and support mediation between the
parties.
Furthermore, UN member states and the Security Council should call
upon the Government to uphold its obligations to respect and protect the human
rights of civilians and to publicly agree to facilitate an OHCHR investigation
into human rights abuses. In addition, the Government should charge or release
all people detained in connection with the crisis. It should also fully respect
the freedom of the press and ensure that the internet and main broadcast and
mobile communications networks remain functional.
We look forward to working with you to encourage the parties in
Cameroon to start talking and to work towards a peaceful resolution of the
crisis.
Signed,
1. Access Now
2. Cameroon Humanitarian Relief Initiative
3. Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa
4. Denis Hurley Peace Institute
5. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
6. Greenpeace
7. Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme Cameroun
8. The Civil Society Platform for Democracy
9. USC International Human Rights Clinic
2. Cameroon Humanitarian Relief Initiative
3. Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa
4. Denis Hurley Peace Institute
5. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
6. Greenpeace
7. Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme Cameroun
8. The Civil Society Platform for Democracy
9. USC International Human Rights Clinic