Cameroonian soldiers demonstrate over peacekeeping mission pay

Nearly 1000 soldiers took to the streets on Wednesday in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to claim payment for their peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (CAR).

Some 960 of the the 1505 soldiers who were in service in CAR attended the demonstration. They were first part of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops, then part of the UN peacekeeping force.

The soldiers occupied the main road connecting the Defence Ministry to the National Assembly where they asked to talk to Speaker Djibril Cavaye Yeguie.

Some soldiers served in CAR for more than two years and are supposed to be paid some 18,000 U.S. dollars.

They said the money had been given by the AU and UN to the Cameroonian government, but was not paid to them.

The situation was tense at noon near the National Assembly which was immediately cordoned off by the gendarmerie.

For the past decade, Cameroon has sent batches of peacekeepers to crisis-hit countries in central Africa. CAR has been in turmoil since former President Francois Bozize was overthrown by rebels in 2013.

Source: XINHUA