International humanitarian law: Red Cross presses for Cameroon’s implementation

A two-day sub-regional workshop which rounded off in Yaounde yesterday sought ways of getting the conventions, most of which have been ratified, integrated into Cameroon’s legislation

By Bainkong Godlove in Yaounde

The International Red Cross Movement (IRCM) is bent on seeing that the illicit circulation and use of arms and other crimes committed against humanity are controlled by legislation. The use of arms by security forces on unarmed civilians, the unauthorised buying
and use of arms by civilians and the outright violation of the rights of children are contained in international conventions ratified by Cameroon but whose integration into the country’s legislation is
still a dream.

Speaking during the opening of a two-day workshop here Wednesday on how Cameroon can integrate the international humanitarian law into its legislation, the regional delegate of the Red Cross Movement for Central Africa, Philippe Gaillard, said the illicit
circulation and use of arms cause untold suffering to the civilian population who are most often plunged into war. He advocated the integration of the international humanitarian law into the doctrines of armed forces and the development in them of a reflex of the respect of the law. Gaillard cited the February unrest in Cameroon and other upheavals that almost brought Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gabon and Mozambique to their knees as fruit of disproportionate
use of force which, he said, threatened the security of the State and so should not be neglected by any government.

So far, Cameroon has ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on the protection of victims of armed conflicts, the 1925 protocol agreement on the use of toxic gas, the 1989 convention on children’s rights and the 1993 convention on the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons, among others. These conventions are yet to be integrated into the country’s legislation.

Philippe Gaillard said concerted efforts should be made towards making these conventions a law so that impunity could be a thing of the past and for people to go freely about their activities.

A representative of the Justice ministry, Kouam Tekam, said his ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Presidency of the Republic and the ministries of Defence and External Relations are working in synergy to integrate the international humanitarian law into Cameroon’s legal system and to ensure its application.