UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 72nd session of the
United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on
September 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/Jewel SAMAD)
United Nations (United
States) (AFP) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Cameroon to
probe deadly attacks in the country's restless English-speaking region after
protests leading to a symbolic declaration of independence.
At least 17 people were killed
in weekend attacks in mostly French-speaking Cameroon's southwest, a region
once under British rule.
Guterres "calls on the
Cameroonian authorities to investigate these incidents", his spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late Monday.
He called on "political
leaders on both sides to appeal to their followers to refrain from any further
acts of violence, and to unequivocally condemn all actions that undermine the
peace, stability and unity of the country."
Guterres also urged
"representatives of the Anglophone community to ... (seek) solutions to
the community's grievances, within the framework of the Cameroonian
constitution."
Amnesty International said
"at least" 17 people had been killed by security forces.
On Sunday, separatists used the
October 1 anniversary of the official unification of the English- and
French-speaking parts of Cameroon to declare independence for
"Ambazonia" -- the name of the state they want to create.
Anglophones account for about a
fifth of the West African nation's population of 22 million.
English-speakers complain they
have suffered decades of economic inequality and social injustice at the hands
of the French-speaking majority.
No comments:
Post a Comment