A resolution calling on the Government of Cameroon and armed separatist groups to respect the human rights of all Cameroonian citizens, to end all violence, and to pursue an inclusive dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Northwest and Southwest regions.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 292 Calling on the Government of Cameroon and armed separatist groups to respect the human rights of all Cameroonian citizens, to end all violence, and to pursue an inclusive dialogue to resolve the conflict in the North- west and Southwest regions. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 30, 2019 Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. KAINE, and Mr. MERKLEY) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Calling on the Government of Cameroon and armed sepa- ratist groups to respect the human rights of all Cameroonian citizens, to end all violence, and to pursue an inclusive dialogue to resolve the conflict in the North- west and Southwest regions. Whereas Paul Biya has held office as Cameroon’s President since 1982, and won reelection to a seventh term in Octo- ber 2018; Whereas Cameroon receives United States foreign aid and participates in the Department of State-led Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP) and United States-supported efforts to counter Boko Haram; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 292 IS Whereas the Government of Cameroon has increasingly cracked down on political expression, including by impris- oning opposition leaders and supporters, banning opposi- tion and civil society conferences, reinforcing troop de- ployments to deter and disrupt protests, and restricting access to Facebook and other social media platforms; Whereas the Government of Cameroon has repeatedly re- stricted freedoms of expression and the media nationwide by shutting down the internet, harassing and detaining journalists, refusing licenses to independent media, and intensifying political attacks against the independent press; Whereas Boko Haram and an Islamic State-affiliated splinter group have destabilized northern Cameroon since 2014, marked recently by a June 2019 attack on security forces in Far North Cameroon that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians; Whereas the Boko Haram insurgency in Cameroon’s Far North region has created an estimated 263,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), causing an escalating humani- tarian crisis in difficult to access areas; Whereas tensions between predominantly Christian farmers and predominantly Muslim Fulani herders have contrib- uted to religious and communal tensions throughout West and Central Africa in recent years, including in the Northwest region of Cameroon; Whereas members of the Government of Cameroon’s Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), which receives United States counterterrorism training and support, have been accused of torture and extrajudicial killings and may be VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 292 IS in contravention of congressionally mandated ‘‘Leahy human rights vetting’’ requirements; Whereas the 2018 Department of State Human Rights Re- port documented torture and abuse by Cameroonian se- curity forces, ‘‘prolonged arbitrary detentions including of suspected Anglophone separatists by security forces,’’ and violations of freedoms of expression and assembly; Whereas, following Cameroon’s October 7, 2018, elections, the African Union Election Observation Mission stated that ‘‘the current [legal] framework needs to be strength- ened in order to safeguard the democratic principles of separation of powers, fairness, and independence and im- partiality,’’ which the Department of State echoed, em- phasizing that electoral irregularities ‘‘created an impres- sion that the election was not credible or genuinely free and fair’’; Whereas Anglophone Cameroonians have long felt marginalized by official actions and policies of the Gov- ernment of Cameroon; Whereas, while the Government of France has condemned at- tacks by armed separatists, it has a meaningful role to play in pushing the Government of Cameroon to lift re- strictions on freedoms of expression and the media, end arbitrary detention, and engage in inclusive dialogue with Anglophone leaders; Whereas, beginning in late 2016, protests organized by law- yers, teachers, and students were violently repressed by the Government of Cameroon, leading to numerous deaths and imprisonments, including of journalists and lawyers; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 292 IS Whereas, in January 2017, the Government of Cameroon or- dered the suspension of internet services in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon, the suspension last- ing for 93 days and having a major, debilitating effect on the economy, educational institutions, freedom of expres- sion, and social communication of the region’s residents; Whereas the conflict escalated in late September and early October 2017, when Cameroonian security forces brutally cracked down on unarmed civilians peacefully dem- onstrating, resulting in at least 20 people dying and leav- ing over 100 injured; Whereas, in 2017, armed separatist groups launched a cam- paign to pressure school officials in the Anglophone re- gion to go on strike as part of a boycott against the Gov- ernment of Cameroon, and began burning school build- ings and threatening education officials with violence if they did not comply; Whereas human rights monitors have documented armed groups killing traditional leaders and targeting civilians who are perceived to be supporting or working with the Government of Cameroon, and armed militants have killed Cameroonian security force personnel; Whereas numerous credible reports from human rights mon- itors, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have documented the excessive use of force by Government of Cameroon security forces against Cameroonians living in the Anglophone regions, including the burning of villages, the use of live ammunition against protestors, arbitrary arrest and detention, tor- ture, and sexual abuse; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •SRES 292 IS Whereas the Department of State has expressed serious con- cern over the Government of Cameroon’s use of force to restrict free expression and the use of violence against in- dividuals protesting the government’s policies in the Anglophone regions; Whereas both the Government of Cameroon security forces and armed groups have been documented targeting and brutally killing civilians in the Anglophone regions, in- cluding women and children; Whereas in February 2019, the Department of State an- nounced it would withhold some security assistance to Cameroon, citing credible allegations that the Cameroonian military carried out human rights viola- tions; Whereas United States citizen Charles Wesco was senselessly killed near the town of Bamenda, Cameroon, on October 30, 2018, after being caught in what the Department of State has characterized as ‘‘cross fire’’; Whereas the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated in March 2019 that at least 530,000 were internally displaced in areas affected by the Anglophone conflict; Whereas the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has estimated that $298,900,000 is required to provide humanitarian assistance through- out Cameroon, and only 21 percent of the appeal has been funded as of July 2019; Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commis- sioner for Refugees reported that it had registered rough- ly 36,000 Cameroonian refugees from the Anglophone re- gions in Nigeria as of April 2019; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •SRES 292 IS Whereas some Cameroonian diaspora organizations in the United States and Cameroonian-based civil society orga- nizations are working to address the needs of Cameroonian internally displaced persons on the north- west and southwest regions of the country and refugees in Nigeria; Whereas 47 Anglophone activists were forcibly returned from Nigerian custody to Cameroonian authorities in January 2018, despite many having reportedly submitted asylum claims in Nigeria; and Whereas 10 of the 47 individuals forcibly returned from Ni- geria now face charges before a military court that would be punishable by the death penalty, while the other 37 reportedly remain in detention without charge: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) urges all parties to the Anglophone conflict 2 in Cameroon, including political opposition groups, 3 to— 4 (A) agree to an immediate ceasefire; 5 (B) guarantee unfettered humanitarian as- 6 sistance; 7 (C) exercise restraint and ensure that pro- 8 tests remain peaceful; and 9 (D) engage in inclusive dialogue with civil 10 society to get to a political solution that re- 11 spects the rights and freedoms of the people of 12 Cameroon; 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •SRES 292 IS (2) strongly condemns the abuses committed by 1 Boko Haram, state security forces, and armed 2 groups in the Anglophone regions, including 3 extrajudicial killings and detentions, the use of force 4 against nonviolent civilians and protestors, and vio- 5 lations of the freedoms of press, expression, religion, 6 and assembly; 7 (3) affirms that the United States Government 8 continues to hold the Government of Cameroon re- 9 sponsible for upholding the rights of all citizens, re- 10 gardless of their religious beliefs, political views, or 11 the regions in which they reside; 12 (4) urges the Government of Cameroon to— 13 (A) initiate a credible, inclusive, good, and 14 full-faith effort to work with religious, cultural, 15 and community leaders in the Anglophone re- 16 gion and the Cameroonian diaspora to engage 17 in meaningful dialogue and address grievances 18 and seek nonviolent solutions to resolve the con- 19 flict, including possibly involving an inde- 20 pendent mediator in such negotiations; 21 (B) respect the fundamental rights of all 22 Cameroonian citizens, including political activ- 23 ists, faith leaders, and journalists; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •SRES 292 IS (C) ensure that any security operations are 1 conducted in accordance with international 2 human rights standards, including efforts to en- 3 sure security forces only use force under appro- 4 priate circumstances; 5 (D) investigate all allegations of human 6 rights abuses, including religious freedom viola- 7 tions, committed in the Anglophone regions and 8 take the necessary measures to prevent arbi- 9 trary detention, torture, enforced disappear- 10 ances, deaths in custody, and inhumane prison 11 conditions; 12 (E) promote the rule of law through more 13 transparent accountability mechanisms; 14 (F) improve election processes and reform 15 electoral institutions; 16 (G) promptly charge or release all those 17 detained in the context of the Anglophone cri- 18 sis, including all Anglophone activists arrested 19 in Nigeria, and ensure that any future detain- 20 ees are treated with due process, in accordance 21 with Cameroon’s penal code and international 22 human rights norms; 23 (H) ensure that detainees are treated fairly 24 and humanely, with proper judicial proceedings, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •SRES 292 IS including a registry of those detained by the 1 Cameroonian security forces, and with full ac- 2 cess to legal resources; 3 (I) release human rights defenders, civil 4 society activists, political prisoners, journalists, 5 trade unionists, teachers, faith leaders and any 6 other citizens who have been arbitrarily ar- 7 rested and detained without trial or charge; and 8 (J) work with United States law enforce- 9 ment to thoroughly investigate and prosecute 10 Charles Wesco’s murder; and 11 (5) urges the armed groups in Anglophone 12 areas to— 13 (A) engage with government officials to 14 peacefully express grievances and credibly en- 15 gage in nonviolent efforts to resolve the conflict; 16 (B) immediately stop committing human 17 rights abuses, including killings of civilians, tor- 18 ture, kidnapping, and extortion; 19 (C) end the school boycott and immediately 20 cease attacks on schools, teachers, and edu- 21 cation officials, and allow for the safe return of 22 all students to class; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •SRES 292 IS (D) immediately release all civilians ille- 1 gally detained or kidnapped. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Jul 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR292.IS SR292 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS