Cameroon peace talks ‘messy’ but important to continue, Joly says

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly offered no explanation today for why Cameroon claims it never sought Canada’s help in peace talks.

Ottawa announced last Friday that it has been leading discussions between the government of Cameroon and separatist groups, whose decades-long conflict has violently escalated in recent years.

But the Cameroon government said on Monday that it had never sought any external mediator.

Joly told reporters today that peace talks tend to be “messy” but that Ottawa is committed to helping the country reach a peace deal.