US cuts military aid to Cameroon over human rights concerns
Posted Feb 6, 2019 3:34 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
JOHANNESBURG — The United States says it’s cutting military aid to Cameroon over human rights concerns after growing allegations of abuses by security forces.
The U.S. decision comes after videos circulated online last year showing Cameroonian security forces shooting and killing civilians, including women with small children strapped to their backs. The videos were documented by Amnesty International and global media outlets.
The top U.S. diplomat for Africa said in December that he feared a separatist crisis in the central African nation could get “much, much” worse and warned against a “brutal response” to extremism. Cameroon also faces a threat from Boko Haram fighters based in neighbouring Nigeria.
U.S. officials say the reduced support involves armoured vehicles, boats, aircraft upkeep and parts, helicopter training and an invitation to a partnership program.
The Associated Press
