Voice of America
24 Jan 2023, 23:35 GMT+10
Yaounde - Cameroon has denied an announcement that Canada will mediate the African country's separatist conflict, saying such a role was never mandated. Canada's foreign ministry last week announced that Cameroon and some separatist factions had agreed to a peace process, with Ottawa assigned to help.
Cameroonian government spokesman Rene Emmanuel Sadi said Yaounde has never entrusted any country with the role of facilitator or mediator with separatists in its western regions.
In a statement Monday, Sadi said it was up to Cameroon's people, institutions, and leaders to seek appropriate ways of solving problems facing their state.
Canada Says Cameroon Warring Parties Agree to Enter Peace Process
It was a response to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on Friday announcing that Cameroon and some separatist factions had agreed to a peace process.
Her statement said Ottawa had accepted a mandate to act as facilitator and called the agreement a critical first step toward peace.
The Cameroonian government's denial of Canada's mediation deflated hopes for talks to end seven years of fighting that has left thousands of people dead, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Esther Njomo Omam is the executive director of the aid group Reach Out Cameroon.
'People have been suffering, people have been in pain, and they believed that this Canada-led process for dialogue was a glimmer of hope that could lead to a lasting solution for peace,' she said. 'The general opinion was that of relief and a sign of hope. When the communique from the minister of communication came out, we sampled opinion, and it was that of frustration.'
Canada responded to Cameroon's denial Monday saying it was in touch with both sides in the conflict and that Ottawa's statement still stands.
Canada had said the parties to the agreement last week included at least six separatist groups: the Ambazonia Governing Council, the Ambazonia Defense Forces, the African People's Liberation Movement, the Southern Cameroon's Defense Force, the Ambazonia Interim Government, and the Ambazonia Coalition.
A spokesman for the Ambazonia Defense Forces, Capo Daniel, says Yaounde's backing out of the agreement shows it does not want peace.
He says separatist groups will meet in the coming days to decide how to proceed.
'The Ambazonia Governing Council and all the other Ambazonia movements who formed the leading block that represents Ambazonia in the Ambazonia, Cameroon, Canada negotiation process have taken note of this document from Sadi. That is our only response. We have taken note,' he said.
Some rebel groups like the Ambazonia Interim Government and the self-declared Republic of Ambazonia have rejected Canada-led talks.
The groups have on social media said only armed conflict would free the people of Ambazonia, an English-speaking state they are fighting to carve out from French-speaking majority Cameroon.
Cameroon's government says it is already implementing efforts for peace agreed to during a 2019 national dialogue on the separatist conflict.
Several rebel groups, including those with leaders based in Europe and the United States, did not take part in that dialogue for fear of arrest.
They asked Yaounde to organize talks outside Cameroon with foreign mediators.
Switzerland has also made attempts to mediate the conflict, but with little progress.
Canada says the conflict has killed more than 6,000 people since 2017, displaced 800,000, and deprived 600,000 children of access to education.
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationLondon [UK], April 11 (ANI): Speaking on star all-rounder Ben Stokes' future in white-ball cricket, England team's managing director...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 11 (ANI): Former Indian pacer Varun Aaron hailed spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam for a fine start...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 11 (ANI): Following Delhi Capitals' win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), former South African...
London [UK], April 11 (ANI): England cricket team managing director Rob Key backed the newly-appointed white-ball captain Harry Brook,...
U.S. President Donald Trump shows an executive order on reciprocal tariffs at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C.,...
By Vishu Adhana Port Louis (Mauritius), April 111 (ANI): With growing pressure to meet its rising power needs and transition towards...
PARIS, France: A spike in vegetable oil costs helped steady global food prices in March, offsetting declines in other staples like...
LOS GATOS, California: As international content fuels its global growth, Netflix is expanding its language tools on TV to help users...
New Delhi [India], April 11 (ANI): Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman of Hero Enterprise, said on Friday that he views Trump's reciprocal...
New Delhi [India], April 11 (ANI): Nandan Nilekani, Co-Founder and Chairman of IT services major Infosys, has cautioned against the...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 11 (ANI): After former Union Home Minister P Chidabaram criticised BJP for taking 'credit' of...
Washington is interested in looking at the root causes of the fighting between Moscow and Kiev, the Russian foreign minister has said...