New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS): The security situation in Cameroon's Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest has improved, said Cameroonian President Paul Biya.

"Thanks to the people's active cooperation with our defense and security forces, the situation in the Northwest and Southwest has improved significantly. It is now possible to calmly implement the reconstruction and development plans for the said regions," Biya said in a televised address, Xinhua news agency reported.

The president said "an increasing number" of fighters have laid down their arms and joined government-run disarmament centers, urging residents in the troubled regions to continue to cooperate with government forces.

"For those who persist in criminal activity, they must know that our firm determination to ensure the security of our fellow citizens will never falter," he added

The armed separatist conflict has been going on in the two Anglophone regions since 2017. The separatists want to break away from the majority of French-speaking Cameroon and create an independent nation.