Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Tuesday underlined the “important role” of the media and youth in addressing the conflict in the country’s two restive English-speaking regions.

Ngute made the remarks in the capital city of Yaounde during consultative talks with the Cameroon National Youth Council (CNJC) and the Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ), which focused on a national dialogue to end the conflict in the restive regions in the southwest and northwest.

“We have expressed the wish to have youth representatives in every stage of this national dialogue. Cameroonian young people from all over the country will be involved, and we are also going to consult the diaspora to be part of this historic event,” Fatimatou Iyawa, CNJC’s president said after the meeting.

“For peace to be sustainable, the media has a very important role to play,” Martin Nkemngu, secretary general of the CUJ noted.

Ngute, who will chair the national dialogue, has been laying the groundwork for the event that is expected to be held by the end of September.

On Tuesday last week, Cameroonian President Paul Biya announced the national dialogue to facilitate a “return to normal life” in the two English-speaking regions.

Crisis has rocked the two regions for over two years after armed separatists declared the “independence” of the regions that constitute a minority in the largely French-speaking country.

Over 530,000 people have been displaced internally by the conflict, according to the United Nations.

Source: Xinhaunet