The president of the Republic granted a hearing on Saturday midday to Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs. The duration of exchanges at the unity Palace between President Paul Biya and Mrs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State responsible for African Affairs, signified in itself the importance of the themes under discussion.
The American diplomat, who was making her first visit to Cameroon, unveiled the contents to the press shortly after the hearing.
Her interview with the head of State, she said, focused on bilateral relations between the United States and Cameroon, the fight against Boko Haram and the efforts of Cameroon to overcome, the situation in CAR and the collaborative research of peace as well as the results of the recent Summit of the African and American leaders held in Washington. Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said have had with President Paul Biya a broad exchange on the political and economic situation in Cameroon.
Under-Secretary of State responsible for African Affairs, who visited Nigeria before coming to Cameroon, indicated that the U.S. Government has worked with Nigeria on the problem of Boko Haram. But the situation goes from bad to worse, some villages being taken under the cut of the Islamist sect and the city of Maiduguri threatened. There, she said, a recent meeting in Abuja to which Cameroon took part with a few other major players such as Britain, France and China.
She noted that, with regard to the fight against Boko Haram, there is need to work in common for regional solutions. She noted that the situation is critical as Northern Nigeria and Cameroon suffers from incursions of this Islamist sect. she then took the opportunity to express her condolences to the Deputy Prime Minister (Amadou Ali) and Cameroonian families bereaved because of these abuses.
She stressed that the Government and particularly the Cameroonian military have an extraordinary job in the fight against Boko Haram. And expressed the American Government's promise to continue to work together to battle Boko Haram.