Massacre in Cameroon: the government in turn disputes the record of the UN

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The Minister of Communication and spokesman for the Cameroonian government, René Emmanuel Sadi, spoke on February 18 about the violence committed in a village in the northwest of the country which led to the death of several people.

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René Emmanuel Sadi denounced, in a press point on Tuesday, " fabrications and false allegations " against the army. " Without the slightest preliminary investigation, several political activists, inveterate detractors, have invaded the media to blame the defense forces for the consequences of this incident ," he said.

While conveying the condolences of President Paul Biya to the families of the victims, the minister reaffirmed the assessment advanced by the army earlier this week: a woman and four children died because of a fire caused by exchanges of fire between law enforcement and rebels. The record reported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is much more significant. It rises to 23 dead including 15 children.

Since February 18, the affair has reacted far beyond Cameroonian borders. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked that " all the light be shed on this tragic event ". In the evening, the US Secretary of State for Africa spoke on Twitter, calling on Cameroon to authorize " an independent investigation, guarantee the protection of witnesses and bring the culprits to justice ".

We condemn the killings of civilians in Ngarbu, NW Region of Cameroon, and offer condolences to the victims' families. We call on the government to authorize an independent investigation, ensure safety of witnesses, and bring perpetrators to justice. The violence must stop.

► Read also : Massacre in Cameroon: the UN calls for an independent and impartial investigation

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• Cameroon
• UN
• Human rights

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