Hon. Koa Mengue Laurentine at the National Assembly
Some Cameroon lawmakers at the National Assembly on Tuesday condemned the bomb attack by Ambazonia separatists, which targeted schoolchildren in Nkambe, and decried corruption within the country’s institutions.
Hon. Koa Mengue Laurentine, the eldest member of the Assembly, called the Nkambe attack a “despicable crime” while speaking at the opening of the March parliamentary session in Yaounde.
The Nkambe bomb attack pertains to an incident on February 11th, resulting in the tragic death of one individual and leaving dozens, including children, injured in an explosion within the tumultuous English-speaking Northwest region of the country.
The explosion occurred during the Youth Day celebration in Nkambe.
Cameroon has witnessed a resurgence of separatist attacks, leading to the loss of several dozen civilian lives in recent weeks.
The separatist conflict erupted in 2016 when Anglophone Cameroonians protested against discrimination by the Francophone majority.
According to the United Nations, the ongoing unrest has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people, and approximately 600,000 children have been deprived of education. Cameroon lawmakers have not officially discussed the crisis or deliberated on how it can be resolved.
Call for cleaner cities
The lawmaker also criticised the prevalence of corruption, stating it is “eating the country’s institutions,” and lamented the garbage problem plaguing the nation’s cities.
“The vulnerable population in the towns and cities is being suffocated by heaps of garbage,” Laurentine said, calling on her colleagues to address these socio-economic issues.
The session also saw the election of the House’s bureau, with long-time speaker Cavaye Yegui Djibril expected to retain his leadership position.
Prime Minister and Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, members of the Judiciary and Diplomatic Corps, and other dignitaries attended the opening session. The Senate will hold its own session and leadership elections after the Lower House concludes its business.
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