CAMEROON DEMANDS REVERSAL OF PRO-GAY FUNDING

Cameroon’s Foreign Minister, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, has asked the EU to reverse its grant to a project that aims to combat homophobia in his country.

According to the Cameroon Tribune, the head of the EU delegation in Cameroon, Raoul Mateus Paula, was summoned to meet with Ayissi who formally protested the funding of groups that “violate the laws of Cameroon”.

By doing so the EU was “violating the provisions of the Vienna Convention governing priorities and consular cooperation between states”, said Ayissi.

In the 10 minute meeting he also told Paula that “the people of Cameroon are not ready or willing to go in the direction of developing these practices on its territory”.

The EU recently granted €300,000 towards the ‘Project for Assistance and Guidance to Sexual Minorities’ which is backed by the Association to Defend Homosexuals (ADEFHO), founded by lawyer Alice Nkom.

Nkom has said that she is fearful of being arrested for having applied for the grant.

Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon and penalties include fines and up to five years imprisonment.

In a damning 2010 report, Human Rights Watch highlighted attacks on people suspected of being gay by police, politicians, the media, and even their own communities in Cameroon.