Armed men on last week attacked a Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) facility in the restive South-West region, killing five workers and injuring 40 others.

"The Swiss embassy ... extends its sincere condolences to the family of the CDC workers killed on Friday 10 February 2023 in Tiko. We call on all parties to embrace dialogue and refrain from violence. We urge the authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable," the Swiss embassy in Cameroon tweeted.

Switzerland's call for dialogue comes after the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, on 20 January announced that the Cameroonian government had agreed to hold talks with separatist groups.

The government, however, denied that it had agreed to Canada's facilitation of talks.