President Donald Trump on Cameroon
The US President Donald Trump says Cameroon will no longer benefit from a trade pact between the United State and sub-Saharan African countries because of “gross” human rights violations against its own citizens.
The United State also cut more than 17 million dollar in security aid and support to Cameroon in the month of February due to fear about its Human Rights record.
President Trump pointed out in a letter addressed to congress on Thursday where he pin points the accusations of ‘’extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and unlawful detention, and torture’’ in his statement issued on Thursday, adding that Cameroon will be officially excluded from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on 1 Jan.
Over 3000 people have been killed in the Cameroon violence since 2016. According to a group of 65 civil society organizations who were called this week on the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights to address violations in the country. The group states that about half a million people have been forced to flee their homes, and 700,000 children are out of school.
Minister Felix Mbayu
Cameroon still suffering from Anglophone revolt
Cameroon is still suffering over the impact of the Anglophone revolt that started in the English speaking part of Cameroon since 2016 after they complained of being marginalized by the majority Francophone also known as ‘’La Republic’’.
The US is also not happy with China because China helped to clear out some of Cameroon’s debt in secret. Meanwhile, China is busy carrying out a projects in Cameroon to better its ties with the government despite the crisis it is facing.
Minister Felix Mbayu told CNN that ‘’the government has no move to make; we have other partners like China, Russia and Singapore who are ready to make do business with us…we have no reaction to the US ‘’. Mbayu added that ‘’the least of our worry now is about the AGOA issue’’ which he says is a very small part of Cameroon’s relationship with the United States.
