Cameroon’s Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo on Monday held a meeting with senior military and police officers to evaluate security measures in the country in the wake of “growing violence”.

“The security situation in the country now is marked by violence sparked by secessionists and criminal gangs in the Northwest and Southwest regions. This has led to suffering,” Assomo said at the start of the meeting in the capital, Yaounde.

“Fortunately this is being fought by defense and security forces with courage, determination and professionalism in strict respect of laws,” he said, while expressing his regret over the dissemination of “fake news” about the conflict in the regions, which is detrimental to the army’s image.

“In any case, defense and security forces, will not fall into the traps of fake news. They (forces) will sanction any undisciplined soldiers going against military rules.” Assomo said. The meeting is expected to establish a blueprint that will ensure a return to normalcy “in violent parts of the country”, officials of the army told reporters.

Cameroon is facing growing insecurity in its two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest where separatists want to create a new nation called “Ambazonia”. Government forces are also engaged in battles with kidnappers in the mountainous region of Adamawa and Boko Haram terror group in the Far North region of the country.

Xinhuanet