31, January 2019
Biya Regime Summons French, German Envoys Over Embassy Violence 0
Cameroon summoned French and German envoys to protest “violence and vandalism” during opposition demonstrations at the central African nation’s embassies in Paris and Berlin.
The two European host governments failed to provide ample diplomatic and consular protection during the Jan. 26 protests by backers of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, in violation of international conventions, Cameroon’s Communication Minister and government spokesman Rene Emmanuel said in a statement Tuesday in the capital, Yaounde.
While the United Nations condemned the violence at the Cameroonian embassies, it also expressed concern about alleged use of force by security forces during demonstrations in Cameroon’s port city of Douala in recent days, and the arrest of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ office said Tuesday in an emailed statement.
“The UN calls on Cameroonian authorities to respect the freedom of assembly, association and expression and stress the need for restraint by all political actors,” according to the statement.
Source: Bloomberg
1, February 2019
Norwegian refugee agency tasks Biya regime on admission of 30,000 Nigerians 0
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has pleaded with the Cameroonian government to accommodate 30,000 Nigerians that fled from recent attacks in Rann, Borno State
The Country Director in Nigeria, Eric Batonon, in a statement yesterday in Maiduguri, said: “The Norwegian Refugee Council is alarmed by the massive displacement of 30,000 people from the Nigerian town of Rann into Cameroon.”
According to him, the Nigerian refugees, who had crossed into the Francophone nation last week, were forced to return.
He urged Cameroon to keep its borders open in consonance with a tripartite agreement. The humanitarian assistance, Batonon explained, was in tune with the pact entered by the two countries with the UNHCR.
“The women, men, and children fleeing are not opportunists. They are civilians running for their lives,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received another batch of 162 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya.
They consist of 100 females, including four pregnant women, 62 males, 13 female children and five infants.
In the male category, there are 50 adults, four male children and 13 infants. So far, 8,808 returnees had landed in the country.
Coordinator of Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Idris Muhammed, in a statement yesterday by the agency’s Information Officer, Ibrahim Farinloye, urged the returnees to be agents of positive change by joining the campaign against irregular migration.
Source: The Guardian