Steadily and perhaps swiftly, the US is mounting pressure on the UN to take action to force the government of Cameroun to end the conflict that has claimed thousands of lives in three years. One of the most recent moves is a correspondence from the chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the US Congress, Eliot L. Engel. He requests the US ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft to push for an international investigation into the attrocities in the conflict, blaming the government of blocking access to humanitarian workers. Following is the December 3, letter which comes on the heels of horrendous attrocities like burning of villages and food stuff.
December 3, 2019
Ambassador Kelly Craft
Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations
United States Mission to the United Nations
799 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Dear Ambassador Craft:
I write to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people, the internal displacement of almost 800,000 and over 35,000 Cameroonians seeking asylum in Nigeria.
Approximately 4.3 million people in Cameroon are now in need of humanitarian assistance and over 600,000 children have been denied access to education for the past three years.
Additionally, humanitarian organizations are experiencing difficulties in accessing conflict-affected populations and the Government of Cameroon refuses to provide access to international human rights organizations seeking to identify the perpetrators of atrocity crimes.
As a response to this horrendous situation, I urge you to lead an effort at the United
Nations to pass a resolution calling for an end to the violence in Cameroon and the establishment of an independent international fact-finding mission. Such a mission could help determine the facts and circumstances of the gross international human rights violations being committed by the country’s military, security forces and armed separatists and, hopefully, bring an end to the overall impunity with which these crimes and atrocities are being committed.
Peace, justice and the protection of minority rights in Cameroon will enhance stability for the country and the Central Africa subregion; it will also serve vital interests of the United States in our bilateral and multilateral relations with African countries.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. I hope we can work together to send a strong signal to the Government of Cameroon and armed groups perpetrating violence that the
international community will not turn a blind eye to gross violations of human rights.
Sincerely,
ELIOT L. ENGEL
Chairman
The Honorable Mike Pompeo
Secretary of State
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