OIF Secretary General welcomes national dialogue in Cameroon
Paris, France (PANA) - The Secretary General of La Francophonie, Louise Mushikiwabo, has welcomed the announcement by Cameroonian President Paul Biya to convene a major national dialogue, particularly on the situation in the north-west and south-west regions of the country, effective from the end of September.
"I welcome this important announcement by President Paul Biya that paves the way for a consensual and peaceful resolution of the current crisis in these two regions of Cameroon. I hope that this dialogue will also be a moment of consolidation of national cohesion and living together in this important member state of La Francophonie," said the Secretary General of La Francophonie.
Mushikiwabo encouraged all Cameroonian stakeholders, including the those in the diaspora, to engage constructively in all stages of this dialogue and reiterated the availability of La Francophonie to support the preparation and conduct of this dialogue.
In his address to the nation on Tuesday, President Biya announced the holding of a major national dialogue which should be convened before the end of September, and which will allow the examination of ways and means to meet the deep aspirations of the people of the northwest and southwest.
The dialogue should bring together, according to President Biya, all the components of the society, including the representatives of defense and security forces, as well as those of the armed groups and the victims, and will be chaired by the Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Nguté.
Cameroon has been shaken for nearly two years by a violent conflict in the English-speaking areas of the north-west and south-west against the Cameroonian armed forces and English-speaking separatists who demand the creation of an independent state. The demand which sometimes turned violent has caused nearly 2,000 deaths.
-0- PANA BM/BEH/KND/VAO 12Sept2019
