Summary: State Party Cameroon ratified the convention on 12 July 2012. It is unclear if Cameroon will adopt implementing legislation for the convention as it has not provided its transparency report for the convention, which was originally due in June 2013. Cameroon has participated in all of the convention’s Meetings of States Parties and has elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to the interpretation and implementation of the convention. Cameroon states that it has not used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Policy

The Republic of Cameroon signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 15 December 2009, ratified on 12 July 2012, and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 January 2013.

It is not known if specific legislative measures will be undertaken to enforce the Convention on Cluster Munitions domestically.[1]

As of 27 May 2016, Cameroon had not submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which was originally due by 30 June 2013.

Cameroon participated in the Oslo Process and joined in the consensus adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Dublin in May 2008, but was unable to sign the convention in Oslo in December 2008 due to difficulties in securing authorization.[2] It signed the convention at the UN in New York in December 2009.

Cameroon has participated in every Meeting of States Parties of the convention and attended the First Review Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September 2015. Cameroon participated in all of the convention’s intersessional meetings in Geneva except those held in 2012 and 2015. It has attended regional workshops on the convention, most recently in Lomé, Togo in May 2013.

Cameroon voted in favor of the first UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 7 December 2015, which urges states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[3] Cameroon has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions that condemn the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently Resolution 70/234 on 23 December 2015, which “deplores and condemns” the continued use.[4]

At the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security in October 2013, Cameroon appealed for the universalization and efficient implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[5]

Cameroon has elaborated its views on certain important issues regarding the interpretation and implementation of the convention. In 2011, the Ministry for External Relations stated, “Cameroon has never produced, used, or stockpiled let alone served as a platform for the transit or transfer of cluster munitions. It therefore approves a) the prohibition on the transfer of cluster munitions; b) the prohibition on the assistance in joint military operations; c) the prohibition on foreign stockpile of cluster munitions; d) the prohibition on investments in cluster munitions.”[6]

Cameroon is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Cameroon has stated on several occasions that it has not used, produced, stockpiled, or transferred cluster munitions.[7]

Suspected to be contaminated by: victim-activated improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which may function as either antipersonnel or antivehicle mines.

Recommendations for action 

• The Republic of Cameroon should urgently clear any antipersonnel mines or victim-activated explosive devices on its territory and take immediate steps to minimize harm to civilian populations, including through the provision of risk education.
• Cameroon should inform Mine Ban Treaty States Parties of the discovery of any antipersonnel mine contamination, including victim-activated IEDs, and report on the location of all suspected or confirmed mined areas under its jurisdiction or control and on the status of programs for their destruction.
• As soon as security conditions permit, non-technical survey (NTS) should commence in Extrême-Nord (Far North) region, which has been reportedly most affected by conflict in 2015–2016.
• As necessary, Cameroon should encourage and facilitate assistance and expertise from humanitarian demining organizations. 

Contamination

In 2015–2016, there were a number of reports of casualties and incidents from “landmines” reportedly laid by the non-state armed group Boko Haram, primarily in the north of Cameroon, along its border with Nigeria. These reports followed Cameroon’s increased involvement in joint military offensives against Boko Haram as part of a Multi-National Joint Task Force launched in 2015.[1] The Monitor was not able to confirm the type of devices used. (See the Mine Ban profile for further details.)

The precise extent to which civilians were casualties from use of these devices in 2015–2016 is not clear; however, there were many reports of soldiers killed or injured. (See the Casualties and Victim Assistance profile for further details).

Land Release

It is not known whether and to what extent mine clearance or explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) has been undertaken. Cameroon has not submitted an Article 7 transparency report since 2009.

In 2015, Cameroon was reported to have received training and equipment from the United States (US) and Russia to detect and destroy mines and explosive devices, including armored mine-detection vehicles provided by the US Army Africa Command.[2] Additionally, in May 2015, Cameroon’s Defense Minister stated that Chadian soldiers had been sent to assist in finding and destroying mines, and that while “much had been done…a lot still needs to be done” to eradicate the threat.[3] In March 2016, it was reported that US military advisors and officers were training Cameroonian soldiers on detection and destruction techniques for mines and other explosive devices.[4] 

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 Compliance

Cameroon is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Its Article 5 deadline to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control expired on 1 March 2013.

Under the treaty’s agreed framework, Cameroon should immediately inform States Parties of any newly discovered antipersonnel mine contamination following the expiry of its Article 5 deadline and ensure its clearance as soon as possible. If necessary, it should also submit a request for a new Article 5 deadline, which should be as short as possible and not more than 10 years. Cameroon must continue to fulfil its reporting obligations under the treaty, including the obligation to report on the location of any suspected or confirmed mined areas under its jurisdiction or control and on the status of programs for their clearance through the annual Article 7 transparency report.[5]

The Monitor gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review supported and published by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), which conducted mine action research in 2016 and shared it with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.