US Military Aid to Cameroon

Hey Delegates,

My article today is referring to the US cutting military aid to the US over concerns regarding human rights violations in the area, specifically between the government and the Anglophone separatists.

As I highlighted in the Topic Synopsis, this has been the case with many of the US allies, where they pull out from providing nations with military aid due to concerns of this nature.

From the article, it says that "The United Nations has said some 430,000 people in Cameroon's Southwest and Northwest regions have fled the fighting between security forces and English-speaking separatists who seek independence from the largely French-speaking country."

I want delegates to think about what can be done when situations like this arise - since a country is providing military aid, shouldn't it be their responsibility to help resolve these issues?  Why or why not?

Thinking about these kinds of questions is important because it will help you generate solutions to this topic and meet more like-minded delegates to further solutions. 

Here is the link to the article:
https://missoulian.com/news/world/us-cuts-military-aid-to-cameroon-over-human-rights-concerns/article_bcfd61d8-b23d-5122-835e-2baabfc983bd.html

Please feel free to comment any thoughts or questions that you have below and try to have a conversation regarding this particular issue and how it could possibly be resolved. 

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 15, 2019 at 1:23 PM

    While the U.S. pulled out its military aid to Cameroon at its own discretion, which it has complete right to do so, China feels that aid to places, such as Cameroon, is essential for maintaining peace. Instead of revoking aid, it must be used in efficient ways to address the issues at hand. China strongly supports following a peace-keeping strategy using military aid, and is willing to assist any country that is open to following this path as well. China has given around $7.4 million (U.S. dollars) worth of military aid to Cameroon (Cameroon Tribune 2018), and has ensured that this financial assistance has gone towards peacekeeping operations. It strongly believes in maintaining steady dialogue and cooperation through, and feels that pulling support is not an effective strategy for tackling bigger concerns and issues.

    In order for peace to occur, the security and safety of a nation must be of the utmost priority. Taking this into consideration, China encourages Cameroons build up of its military and for their funds to be allocated towards defense issues, such as technological modernization which China has been recognized by Cameroon to have significantly increased (Cameroon Tribune 2018). Overall, China believes that the removal of military funding and aid would ultimately hurt people instead of help them, and allies and economic partners should instead focus on continuing progress and dialogue that will ultimately benefit the country.

    - The Delegation of China

    Jianing, Yao. “China, Cameroon Sign Military Assistance Agreement.” Expert: DF-41 among
    Most Advanced Missiles in the World - China Military, eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-07/20/content_8094785.htm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 24, 2019 at 5:36 PM

    The United States main goal associated with military aid in Cameroon is both for the betterment of humanitarian response and security in the region. Yet, the United States has no legal obligation to assume the conflicts associated with the separatist forces. A nation that provides military aid assumes the responsibility in aiding a recipient nation, but not taking on the recipient one's conflicts. If this were the case, donor nations would simply not have the financial support to account for all future conflicts within the nations they provide for. In addition, the removal of military aid from Cameroon is in direct response to the guidelines the United has when providing military aid. The United States has vehemently stated that our aid will not financial or indirectly support groups associated with terror or human rights violations. The government of Cameroon has shown its inability to restrict separatist groups associated with violent humanitarian crimes.
    Therefore, the removal of aid from the region will continue until the government can regain control of the separatist group.

    This also opens up a bigger argument regarding the obligation of aid within conflict regions. Although the United States may differ in policy, we support the transparent distribution of aid within recipient nations. Military aid must be distributed evenly and known to the donor government. This failed within Cameroon government, which continued to receive funding while hosting a hostile group. The United States as a provider of military aid to the region has no legal obligation with the Cameroon government to assist them in terminating the Anglophone separatists. Safeguarding the interest of donor nations should be a priority when creating future military aid agreements. Assuming responsibility for all future conflicts that may occur in a region, such as the Anglophone separatist would only deter countries like the United States. Its simply too much liability and obligation to assume.

    The Delegation of the United States

    ReplyDelete

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