The Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of human rights abuses in Cameroon by security services and non-state armed groups, as set out in the US State Department’s 2021 country report; and whether they will allow Anglophone Cameroonians to claim asylum in the UK. [HL7998]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government of Cameroon to commit to participation in internationally mediated peace talks following the US State Department’s 2021 country report, which detailed evidence of human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. [HL7999]
The Rt Hon the Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK recognises that a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon is urgently needed, and the violence must end. Reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces are disturbing. The UK considers asylum claims for refugees who are unable to live safely in any part of their country.
We work with international partners, including France and the United States, to raise the North- West and South-West crisis in multilateral fora. At the UN Human Rights Council in September 2021, the UK called for an end to violence and impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. We continue to regularly raise specific human rights concerns with the Government of Cameroon. We also continue to urge the Cameroonian government to remain engaged with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
THE RT HON THE LORD GOLDSMITH OF RICHMOND PARK
