UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official website] expressed concern [press release] Wednesday over human rights violations in English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

The government of Cameroon has denied the human rights office access to these regions. According to the commissioner’s statement, what started as protests in 2016 have devolved into armed elements against government forces, creating dangerous unrest in the country.

To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, I urge the Government to launch independent investigations into the reports of human rights violations by State security forces as well as abuses by armed elements. I condemn the attacks by Cameroonian armed elements, including the ambush on 13 July near the town of Kumba in the Southwest region on a Minister of Defence convoy. But the heavy-handed security response that the Government appears to have employed since October last year will only make matters worse for the women, children and men caught in the middle.

The statement also notes that more than 180,000 civilians have been displaced due to the violence in the regions.