The Cameroonian government has denied the involvement of any foreign country in mediating its conflict with Anglophone separatists.
A statement released by the government on Monday stated that it had not assigned any role of mediator or facilitator to any foreign country or entity.
This contradicts a previous statement by Canada’s foreign ministry that it had been given the mandate to facilitate peace talks between the Cameroonian government and separatist factions in English-speaking regions.
The Anglophone separatists, who are seeking to form a separate state known as Ambazonia, have declined to comment on the government’s statement.
However, they have previously expressed their commitment to a peace process facilitated by Canada.
To resolve this conflict, both sides must be encouraged to make concessions through the use of sanctions and rewards.
In the long run, changes to the legal framework for decentralisation, granting greater autonomy to communities and regions, will be necessary to end the conflict.
Security Analyst Agha-Nwi Fru and the Director for Geneva Centre for Africa Security & Strategic Studies(GCASSS), David Otto join us to analyse these issues.
