The Italian Federation for Human Rights, FIDU, has said the crisis plaguing Cameroon’s Anglophone regions for four years now will not end if the Government continues using ruthless means to end the conflict.
“It is certain that with the ruthlessness of the Cameroon government, the resolve of Southern Cameroons self-determination forces and the nonchalant behavior of the international community, the war will continue, and more massacres and atrocities will take place” said the group.
The organization has also accused the international community of being nonchalant towards the many human rights violations and the conflict in Cameroon.
The organization has outlined seven key proposals, among which it says government should investigate the Kumba massacre, and declare a ceasefire in the English-speaking regions.
FIDU has called on UN to send peacekeeping forces to Cameroon and the international community should place economic sanctions on Cameroon to force government accept peaceful negotiations.
The Italian rights organisation was speaking in relation to the recent killing of school children in Kumba, an act which government accused separatist fighters for, despite not having conducted investigations yet.
This, the organization says, is similar to government’s response during the Ngabuh massacre of at least 12 women and children, where it was later discovered government soldiers were responsible.
According to FIDU, the Cameroon government has the sole responsibility to end the conflict which many Cameroonian have recently teamed up demanding its end.
“The so-called separatists would have no one to fight if Cameroon calls a ceasefire and accepts negotiations as the separatists have done,” FIDU stated.
The institition equally said claims about a genocide in Southern Cameroons should be verified by the international community as they are likely to be true.
The Cameroon government has said the Anglophone crisis is an internal issue that can best be solved through internal dialogue not necessarily facilitated by a third party.
However, the conflict according to FIDU, is now of international concern and “it is the responsibility of the international community to create a framework for both sides to be heard in order to put an end to the conflict between them”.
Mimi Mefo Info
