Human Rights Situation In Africa : Cameroon Presents Strides, Challenges

An overview of the human rights situation in Cameroon, including strides made by government to control security threats has been presented by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Cooperation with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu, at the 79th session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights that held on May 23, 2024 by video conference. Deliberations were chaired by the President of the Commission, Ngoy Remy Lumbu, a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
Presenting Cameroon’s statement, the head of the delegation, Minister Felix Mbayu noted that the session is holding against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical conflicts and rivalries, which are affecting the peace, as well as the socio-economic and cultural development in many countries across the world, particularly in Africa. “Cameroon is not spared from any of these threats. As a matter of fact, the fight against Boko Haram is still continuing in the Far North, with the Multinational Joint Task Force of member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, recording encouraging results on the ground. In the North West and South West Regions on the other hand, the peaceful lives of the people are often disrupted by sporadic attacks by separatist fighters,” highlighted the Minister. He mentioned in regrets, some sad incidents such as the attacks on May 10, 2024 in the Eyumojock Sub–division in the South West Region which claimed the lives of five members of the defence and security forces, another perpetrated by the same group of persons, on May 16, 2024 in the Akwaya Sub-division, of the same region and the killing of the Mayor of Belo in Boyo Division of the North West Region on May 20, 2024. “Despite these isolated cases of violence and hostage taking for ransom, the government of Cameroon has been able to respond rapidly to restore order for the gradual return of peace and stabili...