Internet access has been shut down in some areas as protests spike

Internet access has reportedly been cut off in certain parts of Cameroon after protests broke out over the arrest of two leaders of a top Anglophone community organising group in the country were arrested.

Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, President of the Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, and Dr Fontem Neba, secretary general of the group, were both arrested on the same day the Cameroonian government tagged their civil rights group and its activities illegal via a letter it made available to the local press.

“All activities, meetings and demonstrations initiated or promoted by the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC), any other related groups with similar objectives or by anyone partisan to these groups, are hereby prohibited all over the national territory,” the letter read.

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According to local journalists, internet access has been shut down in Buea amid rising tensions in the streets.

Violent protests and arrests have been going on in the country for months, as Anglophone activists have continued to push for reforms in the French-speaking country.

The situation has since devolved into boycotts with doctors and health professionals joining the strike on Monday.

Anglophones in the country have said the rift goes beyond language to have political, economic and social consequences. Cameroonian President Paul Biya has been in power for more than three decades.