WASHINGTON - Feb. 13, 2021 -The Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations (CDN) today held an online international forum on the implications and opportunity U.S. Senate Resolution 684 will have on the deadly ongoing conflict in the Southern Cameroons.
S.Res.684 is a resolution calling on the Government of Cameroon and separatist armed groups from the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions to end all violence, respect the human rights of all Cameroonians, and pursue a genuinely inclusive dialogue toward resolving the ongoing civil conflict in Anglophone Cameroon.
CDN's virtual forum brought together experts on genocide, foreign policy experts and members of Parliaments from 5 countries including South Africa, France, Canada, Germany and the United States of America.
Recorded video of today's forum featuring the participants listed below is available on the CDN Facebook page at @CoalitionFDN. Live link at end of release.
Opening remarks were given by U.S. Representative Karen Bass, Chairperson, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights, House Foreign Affairs Committee, United States Congress.
John Tomaszewski ("JT"), Lead Professional Staff Member on Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave an overview of S.Res.684 and led a discussion of potential next steps.
Additional expert perspectives on prospects and actions for international advocacy around S.Res.684 was provided by Hon. Darren Bergman: Member of the Foreign Relations and Cooperation Committee of the South African Parliament, Vice-Chair: Democracy, Governance & Human Rights, SADC Parliamentary Forum, Member of Liberal International Human Rights Committee; Hon. Sebastien Nadot: Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French Parliament and Hon. Stefan Kaufmann, member of the German Bundestag.
Salient aspects of S.Res.684 for ending the conflict and restoring justice & peace was covered by Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh: Senior Associate and Regional Director for West and Central Africa at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Member of the CDN's Advisory Board; Dr. Chris Roberts: Foreign Policy Analyst and Political Science Instructor, University of Calgary, Canada; Ms. Iffat Rahman: Human Rights Advocate, Special Representative of the African Bar Association; and Kyra Fox: Research Assistant: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Center for the Prevention of Genocide.
Visit the CDN Facebook page (https://fb.watch/3D_-IpBQ1c/) to view a recording of the forum.
Website: Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations (https://coalitionfdn.org/)
Contact
Kitty Kurth
