US Congress members petition Secretary of State over Anglophone crisis

The US Ambassador to Cameroon might soon be heading to the Unity Palace for another chat with Paul Biya  following concerns raised by two members of the United States Congress. Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin  from the State of Maryland have asked the White House through the US secretary of State, Rex Tillerson  to take a close interest in the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

In a circular dated, Monday June 26, the duo said they were increasingly disturbed by reports of intimidation employ by the Government on English speaking Cameroonians who are protesting policies that marginalize them. They noted that violence has  instead increased in the Anglophone regions despite government assurance that the situation is under control. Tactics used by the government so far has not been convincing for the Congress men.

The Maryland representatives have also called on the Executive to look into various forms of abuses by the Cameroon military in the Far North region. Condemning acts of violence, extortion, intimidation and torture  meted to harmless civilians.  

They have urged the Department of State that has been silent until  now to make a statement and tell Congress the action it hopes to take to address  the socio - political crisis in the English speaking regions as well as humanitarian concerns in the Far North regions.

Earlier, some Congressional Representatives also expressed concerns over Cameroon's use of US aid in the anti terror campaign .  The US Government has been assisting the Cameroon military in the war against Boko Haram supplying military and intelligence. But it is being alleged that resources are being ferried to the Anglophone regions to suppress civil liberties.

Measures taken by the Biya regime, amongst them the recruitment of 1000 Bilingual teachers to teach Science and  Technical subjects as well as English speaking personnel in courts, the  creation of a Common law department at ENAM and a bench at the Supreme Court not leaving out a Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multi Culturalism as superficial. As critics still believe it won't restore the dignity of Anglophones who have enjoyed  second class citizenry in Cameroon for half a century.

Members of the outlawed Consortium and other Anglophones arrested from the North West and South West regions are still under pre trial detention with no materialization of the trumped up charges against them.