Cameroon separatist crisis : United States imposes visa restrictions

The United States on Monday imposed visa restrictions on individuals believed to be undermining efforts to end the Cameroon’s conflict between state forces and English-speaking rebels.

Cameroon’s two western Anglophone regions have been gripped by fighting since 2017 as the rebels try to break away from the predominantly Francophone government.

More than 3,500 people have died and 700,000 have been displaced in the violence.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was deeply concerned by the continued insecurity and called for both sides to negotiate for peace.

“This decision reflects our commitment to advance a dialogue to peacefully resolve the Anglophone crisis and support respect for human rights,” he said in a statement.

Blinken  did not say which individuals might be affected by the visa restrictions, but rights groups have accuse both sides of committing atrocities.

In 2019, the Trump administration ended Cameroon’s preferential trade benefits citing extrajudicial killings, torture and other human rights violations being committed by Cameroonian security forces.

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Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke