Money from Beijing enables Cameroon to purchase weapons

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) accuses the Chinese government of fueling the civil war in Cameroon – instead of promoting peace – by providing the armed forces of the West African state with money to buy weapons. “China’s actions are irresponsible. There are more and more reports about regular soldiers of Cameroon’s armed forces who committed crimes against the civilian population – such as arbitrary arrests, executions, and the destruction of villages,” stated Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Tuesday. On July 18, Cameroon’s army was granted a donation worth 6.8 million Euros, as a means to purchase weapons systems from the People’s Republic of China. Wang Ying Wu, the Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon, stated that the purpose of the donation is to reinforce the army’s “capacities in peacekeeping and security operations in the region.”

The STP demands an end to the arms deliveries and more international pressure on Cameroon’s government to seek a political solution to the escalating conflict in the Anglophone regions. “The calls for peace are growing louder, even within Cameroon,” Delius said. Last Sunday, hundreds of mothers of abductees or civil-war victims had protested in the capital Yaoundé. On Monday, the provincial capital of Buea in the embattled south-west of the country appeared to be almost completely deserted, as the people had initiated a general strike to draw attention to the escalating conflict. The mayor had tried to prevent public protests in Buea with intimidation and official bans – but in vain. 

“In the civil war over the future of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which are striving for independence, there has been much more violence than in the conflict with the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. Between April and June 2018, there were almost 240 incidents in the Anglophone regions. In the same period, Boko Haram was responsible for 86 assaults and clashes in Cameroon.

According to the STP, the fact that presidential elections will be taking place in October 2018 will not help to calm down the situation. In the Anglophone regions, it won’t be possible to carry out regular election campaigns nor the actual elections. “The embattled south-west of Cameroon doesn’t have time to wait for a new government until the fall of 2018. There has to be a ceasefire agreement to prevent another escalation of violence – urgently,” Delius emphasized.

Headerpicture: Cameroon/Elin B via Flickr