Cameroon disputes its request for assistance in the Anglophone separatist situation.

The government of Cameroon claims that it has not requested any nation to arbitrate its dispute with Anglophone separatists, thus refuting a claim from Canada that it has been tasked with advancing a peace process.

In a statement released on Monday that did not specifically mention Canada, the Cameroonian government stated that "no foreign country or external body has been entrusted with any function of mediator or facilitator to end the situation."

The violence has been going on since 2017, according to the foreign ministry of Canada, which announced on January 21 that it had accepted a mandate to mediate a peace process between Cameroonian authorities and some separatist forces in English-speaking regions.

A representative for the minority English-speaking regions of the country's Anglophone separatists, known as Ambazonia, said they had taken note of the government's most recent statement but would make no additional comments.

They had earlier declared their dedication to the Canada-mandated negotiation procedure.

The foreign ministry of Canada did not respond right away.

On Monday, the Canadian announcement of discussions to end the conflict was welcomed by the US embassy in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

Since a 1961 referendum united both regions of the country into one, the English-speaking community in Cameroon has felt marginalized by the French-speaking majority.

In the two Angophone regions, secessionist militia groups have been fighting government forces since the conflict started, displacing almost 800,000 people and claiming thousands of lives. The Canadian government estimates that due to the closure of many schools, around 600,000 children do not have full access to education.

The two Anglophone regions were given special status in 2019 as a result of a national conversation, although this did not end the problem.