During three days of meetings and consultations in the capital, Yaoundé, she met President Paul Biya to discuss the human rights challenges facing the country, and initiatives the Government has taken to deal with them, as well as their broader linkages with peace, security and development.
Violence has spilled over Cameroon's borders from Nigeria, Chad and Central African Republic, while crackdowns on separatists in the southwest and Islamists in the northeast have caused long-running tensions to flare up, the U.N. has said.
Bachelet said the situation could spiral out of control and the challenges are immense, with ten or more separatist movements.
"I believe there is a clear — if possibly short — window of opportunity to arrest the crises that have led to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, as well as the killings and brutal human rights violations and abuses that have affected the northern and western areas of the country," she said in a statement.
"It will take significant actions on the part of the government, and substantial and sustained support from the international community — including us in the U.N.,” Bachelet said.
Cameroon was among the most settled countries in the region until a few years ago, but now villages have been burned, civilians killed and mutilated, with children abducted and forced to join armed groups or used as unwitting suicide bombers.
Bachelet said the situation could spiral out of control and the challenges are immense, with ten or more separatist movements.
"I believe there is a clear — if possibly short — window of opportunity to arrest the crises that have led to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, as well as the killings and brutal human rights violations and abuses that have affected the northern and western areas of the country," she said in a statement.
"It will take significant actions on the part of the government, and substantial and sustained support from the international community — including us in the U.N.,” Bachelet said.
Cameroon was among the most settled countries in the region until a few years ago, but now villages have been burned, civilians killed and mutilated, with children abducted and forced to join armed groups or used as unwitting suicide bombers.
Reported cross-border incursions by armed groups and criminal organizations along Cameroon’s border with the Central African Republic (CAR), as communities continue to be terrorized and attacked by Boko Haram, and other extremist organizations, are a persistent challenge.
Cameroon is also hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic and Nigeria.
Cameroon is also hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic and Nigeria.
Bachelet took part in three days of talks in Yaounde, including an in-depth discussion with President Paul Biya, and offered to help ensure that military operations respect human rights, which the statement said would help to win popular trust.
"If they fail to do that, they will not defeat an enemy that thrives on civilian mistrust of the authorities," Bachelet said.
"In the meantime, the civilians trapped between these two powerful, if asymmetric, opposing forces are increasingly vulnerable to lethal abuses and violations by both sides."
She said the government had told her about steps to ensure that crimes committed by the armed forces are punished.
"This particular issue is damaging Cameroon's international standing and undermining international support for efforts to combat the armed groups operating on its territory," she said.
UN / VOA
"If they fail to do that, they will not defeat an enemy that thrives on civilian mistrust of the authorities," Bachelet said.
"In the meantime, the civilians trapped between these two powerful, if asymmetric, opposing forces are increasingly vulnerable to lethal abuses and violations by both sides."
She said the government had told her about steps to ensure that crimes committed by the armed forces are punished.
"This particular issue is damaging Cameroon's international standing and undermining international support for efforts to combat the armed groups operating on its territory," she said.
UN / VOA
No comments