Published on 06.08.2018 at 12h54 by AFPFive police have been killed in fresh violence in western Cameroon, where English-speaking separatists have declared an independent state, security sources and witnesses said on Monday. “Many people were so afraid that they went off into the bush — others are trying to get to Bamenda,” the capital of Northwest Region, the source said. As the situation polarised, anglophone militants last October 1 made a symbolic declaration of independence that met with a government crackdown. Scores of police and troops have been killed, as well as more than 100 civilians, according to a government report in July. The following year, the British-ruled Southern Cameroons were amalgamated into it, giving rise to the Northwest and Southwest regions.

The Ambassador of the United States of America Peter Henry Balerin has returned to Cameroon after spending over two weeks in his home country. The Ambassodor left Cameroon on May 22 after he was “called to order” by the Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella for comments made to the public after meeting with the Head of State Paul Biya. His departure led to speculation on a possible diplomatic fracas between both countries but it was later revealed Ambassador Peter Henry Balerin had taken his annual leave and would only return to Cameroon on June 8. This did not go down well with the Government of Cameroon who called the Ambassador to “order” through the Minister of External Relations. A section of the media as well as political actors did not take the Ambassador’s statement kindly with Banda Kani of the Manidem party swearing live on TV against Peter Henty Balerin.

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Hong Kong, Peace Mining and Lu, and Lang, all Chinese companies carrying out mining activities in the East region, have been ordered to leave Cameroon. Authorities at the Cameroon’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Technological Development, said the companies were banned for non-compliant with contractual terms. Going by a statement the authorities issued on Saturday, Hong Kong company did not have documents authorizing it to carry out mining activities. Meantime, Peace Mining and Lu and Lang companies, departure is linked to a series of conflicts recorded between their employees and local populations which have resulted in deaths, in addition to the non-respect of the environment. Studies from several local organisations reveal that gold exploitation activities in Cameroon by Chinese companies has caused the death of at least 34 people in 2017.

Killings, land grabs, corruption… tensions and violence are rising in eastern Cameroon as Chinese firms take advantage of a regulatory twilight zone to mine gold. “There are constant conflicts between Cameroonians and the Chinese” over gold mining, said Narma Ndoyama, a farmer in Longa Mali, a small village in the middle of the mining area. He sees the encroachment of Chinese miners as a threat to his cassava farm. AFP contacted several Chinese miners in the region who declined to discuss the complaints of locals against them. Cameroon’s legislation stipulates that 25 percent of gold production should be handed over to the government.

According to statistics from the organisation, 385 Nigerian refugees have been forcibly returned from Cameroon since the start of this year with the majority occuring in the last month. On April 10,160 Nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers were forcibly returned to Nigeria’s Borno state – an area whose residents continue to face risks. Seven days later, 118 asylum-seekers were forcibly returned to Borno state after arriving Cameroon just 48 hours before fleeing the violence in their area. « The forced returns are in violation of the principle of no forced returns or non-refoulement, » The UNHCR said in a statement. In total, UNHCR has registered some 87,600 Nigerian refugees in the country.

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Twelve European tourists are safe and sound after being briefly held in western Cameroon, where anglophone militants are campaigning for an independent state, their Italian travel agency said Wednesday. “Through negotiations with the group they allowed us to leave,” later in the day, the travel agency added. However just as they were about to depart, “Cameroon special forces arrived” and a “brief engagement” ensued, the statement added, without giving details. The 12 tourists were seized in the area of Moungo-Ndor while they were heading for a tourist site called the Twin Lakes, the ministry said. – Legacy of colonial era –The anglophone question in Cameroon dates back to the colonial period in Africa.

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