Switzerland has agreed to act as a mediator between Cameroonian authorities and separatists to put an end to surging violence in the country’s Anglophone regions, the Swiss government said on Thursday, reported Reuters.
“Switzerland was tasked by a majority of the parties with facilitating an inclusive negotiation process,” the Swiss foreign affairs department (FDFA) said in a statement.
The statement comes after Swiss facilitators held two days of talks with “various Cameroonian opposition groups” from Tuesday to Thursday with an aim of preparing “future peace negotiations.”
It currently remains unknown as to where this round of talks had taken place, who had taken part or the issues that were discussed.
“Switzerland has long been committed, both at the bilateral and multilateral level, to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis and to promoting respect for human rights in Cameroon,” the foreign ministry said. “Switzerland is also committed to providing humanitarian aid to the affected local population and has supported Cameroon in dealing with multilingualism.”
The clashes between the mostly French-speaking government forces and armed separatists began in 2017 when a secessionist movement turned violent. The government cracked down on protests by English-speaking educators and attorneys in the northwest and southwest, where residents have complained about receiving second-class treatment from Cameroon’s French-speaking majority.
The armed campaign by English-speaking militants is seeking independence from the francophone-majority country. On October 1, 2017, they declared the creation of the “Republic of Ambazonia,” which covers the two English-speaking regions incorporated into post-independence Cameroon in 1961.
On Tuesday about 40 demonstrators penetrated the lobby of the Intercontinental hotel in Geneva where Cameroonian President Paul Biya is a guest. They have scheduled another protest for Saturday.
According to the United Nations, at least 1,800 people have been killed and more than half a million displaced within the West African country in the two years since fighting began.
