Britain's leading human rights organisations have sounded the alarm over disturbing evidence suggesting European Union funds are bankrolling Cameroonian security forces accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have jointly called for an immediate suspension of EU support to Cameroon's Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), following multiple reports of extrajudicial killings, torture, and burning of villages in the conflict-ridden Anglophone regions.
Mounting Evidence of Atrocities
According to detailed investigations, Cameroonian security forces have been implicated in numerous human rights violations while combating separatist groups in the country's northwest and southwest regions. Witness accounts describe horrific scenes of military brutality against civilian populations.
'The EU risks becoming complicit in these abuses by continuing to fund security forces that show blatant disregard for human life,' stated a senior researcher from Human Rights Watch.
EU's Troubling Partnership
The European Union has allocated approximately €15 million towards supporting Cameroon's BIR units, citing counter-terrorism cooperation as the primary justification. However, human rights monitors argue this partnership has crossed into dangerous territory.
Recent documentation includes:
- Multiple incidents of extrajudicial executions
- Systematic torture of detainees
- Deliberate destruction of civilian homes and property
- Targeting of medical facilities and schools
International Pressure Mounts
British MPs and international bodies are now demanding immediate action. 'The UK government must use its influence to ensure EU funds aren't facilitating human rights violations,' commented a Westminster foreign affairs committee member.
The conflict in Cameroon's Anglophone regions has displaced over 700,000 people and claimed thousands of lives since 2017, with both government forces and separatist groups accused of committing atrocities.
As evidence continues to mount, pressure is building on European leaders to reassess their security cooperation with Cameroon and implement robust human rights safeguards before any further funding is released.
