Cameroon parliament building destroyed by fire, no one hurt

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Cameroon’s government says an overnight fire has destroyed much of parliament in the capital, Yaounde.

The government Friday said the fire was caused by accident, though there are concerns about possible foul play. Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma says investigations have been opened into the cause of the fire that destroyed four floors of the seven-story building. He says no one was hurt.

Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have seen repeated arson attacks amid tensions over ongoing strikes calling for the independence of the minority English-speaking zones. This week when parliament began meeting, opposition lawmakers announced a boycott in protest of the government’s handling of the strikes.

English-speaking lawyers and teachers last year began protesting what they called marginalization by French speakers. Separatists emerged, and a wave of burning public buildings began.