Cameroon

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Last updated: 02 August 2018

Summary: State Party Cameroon ratified the convention on 12 July 2012. It adopted national legislation in December 2016 to prohibit cluster munitions. Cameroon has attended almost every meeting of the convention and voted in favor of key United Nations (UN) resolutions on its implementation, most recently in December 2017.

Cameroon provided an initial transparency report for the convention in August 2014, confirmingthat it has not used or produced cluster munitions. It is retaining its stockpile of six cluster munitions and 906 submunitions for training purposes.

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.

Cameroon has reported various sections of its Penal Code as well as relevant decrees and existing laws under national implementation measures applicable to the convention.[1] On 14 December 2016, the National Assembly adopted legislation that prohibits the use, development, manufacturing, acquisition, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.[2] During the Seventh Meeting of States Parties of the convention in Geneva, Cameroon announced its intention to establish a “national committee on weapons” to implement the new law, which includes penal and fiscal sanctions.[3]

Cameroon provided an initial Article 7 transparency report in August 2014, and submitted updated reports in 2015, 2016, and most recently in April 2017.[4] The 2016 national legislation mandates the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs to provide annual Article 7 transparency reports by April 1 of each year, detailing the type, quantity, and lot number of cluster munitions in Cameroon’s possession.[5]

Cameroon participated in the Oslo Process and joined in the consensus adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Dublin in May 2008, but could not sign the convention in Oslo in December 2008 due to difficulties in securing authorization.[6] It signed the convention at the UN in New York in December 2009 and ratified on 12 July 2012 after adopting ratification legislation in March 2011.[7]

Cameroon has participated in every Meeting of States Parties of the convention, most recently the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2017. It attended the convention’s First Review Conference in 2015 and intersessional meetings in 2013–2014. Cameroon has also participated in regional workshops on the convention, most recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August 2016.[8]

Since 2015, Cameroon voted in favor of key UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions promoting implementation and universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, most recently in December 2017.[9]

Cameroon has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions expressing outrage at the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2017.[10]

Cameroon has elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to 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.”[11]

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

Use, production, and transfer

Cameroon has stated on several occasions that it has not used or produced cluster munitions.[12]

Cameroon imported or otherwise acquired a stockpile of cluster munitions produced in France in 1983, according to the lot numbers.[13]

Cameroon’s 2016 implementation legislation states that the transit of any arms, including cluster munitions, on national territory is subject to the approval of the president.[14] The new law also authorizes the transfer of cluster munitions to other states for the sole purpose of destruction.[15]

Stockpiling and stockpile destruction

In its initial Article 7 transparency report provided in August 2014, Cameroon reported a stockpile of six BLG-66 Belouga cluster bombs and 906 “grenades” or explosive submunitions.[16]

Under Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Cameroon must destroy all its stockpiled cluster munitions as soon as possible, but not later than 1 January 2021.

Cameroon never indicated that it planned to destroy the stockpile, but instead has stated via the initial transparency report and subsequent annual updates that the stockpile of six cluster bombs and 906 submunitions has all been retained for research and training purposes.[17]

Retention

Cameroon is retaining six BLG-66 Belouga cluster bombs and 906 “grenades” or explosive submunitions for research and training purposes. It has reported the same number and types of retained cluster munitions since 2014, without change, indicating that it has not consumed or otherwise destroyed any of these munitions in research or training exercises.

Cameroon’s 2016 implementing legislation permits the retention of a “limited” number of cluster munitions and submunitions for training related to the detection and destruction of cluster munitions.[18] The law does not elaborate what it means by “limited.”



[1] See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form A, August 2014 and April 2017.

[2] The law contains fines for violations, ranging from $1 to $170 (1,000 to 100,000 CFA) as well as penal sanction of various terms, e.g. 15–25 years for production, storage, importation, and transportation, and 10–30 years for sales. “Loi portant régime général des armes et munitions au Cameroun” (“Law on the general regime of weapons and ammunition in Cameroon”), Republic of Cameroon, Law No.2016/015, Chapter IV, 14 December 2016.

[3] Statement of Cameroon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Seventh Meeting of State Parties, Geneva, 5 September 2017. Official audio recording, UN Digital Recordings Portal.

[4] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, April 2017. Cameroon’s transparency reporting has been inconsistent and fraught with delays. An internet archiving serviceshows that Cameroon’s initial report from 2014 was not uploaded to the UN database of Convention on Cluster Munitions transparency reports until August 2016. Reports covering the years 2015 and 2016 were both uploaded in April 2017.

[5] “Loi portant régime général des armes et munitions au Cameroun” (“Law on the general regime of weapons and ammunition in Cameroon”), Republic of Cameroon, Law No.2016/015, Chapter IV, Article 36, 14 December 2016.

[6] For details on Cameroon’s cluster munition policy and practice through early 2010, see ICBL, Cluster Munition Monitor 2010 (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2010), pp. 126–127.

[7] Law 2011/003 was adopted on 6 March 2011 and signed into law by President Paul Biya on 6 May 2011

[8] “The Addis Ababa Commitment on Universalization and Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” Africa Regional Workshop on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, 5 August 2016.

[9] “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UNGA Resolution 72/54, 4 December 2017. Cameroon voted in favor of similar resolutions in December of 2015 and 2016.

[10] “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic,” UNGA Resolution 72/191, 19 December 2017. Cameroon voted in favor of similar resolutions in 2013–2016.

[11] Original text in French: “Le Cameroun, n’est producteur, ni utilisation,ni stockeur encore moins une plate-forme de transit et de transfert des armes à sous-munitions. Il approuve par conséquent a) l’interdiction de transfert des sous-munitions; b) l’interdiction d’assistance en opérations militaires conjointes; c) l’interdiction de stocker des armes à sous-munitions étrangères; d) l’interdiction d’investir dans les armes à sous-munitions.” “Cameroon and the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” statement provided to Handicap International in email from Dr. Yves Alexandre Chouala, Ministry of External Relations, 12 May 2011.

[12] Statement of Cameroon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 15 September 2011; statement of Cameroon, Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions, Closing Plenary, 30 May 2008. Notes by Landmine Action; and statement of Cameroon, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Meeting of States Parties, Vientiane, 10 November 2010. Notes by the CMC.

[13] Each bomb contains 152 submunitions; Cameroon reported a total of 906 submunitions rather than 912 submunitions.

[14] “Loi portant régime général des armes et munitions au Cameroun” (“Law on the general regime of weapons and ammunition in Cameroon”), Republic of Cameroon, Law No.2016/015, Chapter II, Article 6, 14 December 2016.

[15] Ibid., Chapter IV, Article 35.

[17] Ibid., Form C. See also, statement of Cameroon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 4 September 2017. Official audio recording, UN Digital Recordings Portal.

[18] “Loi portant régime général des armes et munitions au Cameroun” (“Law on the general regime of weapons and ammunition in Cameroon”), Republic of Cameroon, Law No.2016/015, Chapter IV, Article 35, 14 December 2016.


Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 19 October 2017

Policy

The Republic of Cameroon signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 19 September 2002, becoming a State Party on 1 March 2003.

Legislation to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically has not been enacted. Cameroon submitted its initial Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report on 5 December 2005 and a subsequent report in August 2009, but has not provided any further annual reports.

Cameroon destroyed its stockpile of 9,187 antipersonnel mines in April 2003. Cameroon apparently retains 3,154 “inactive mines” for training purposes.[1] Cameroon has not provided further reporting on the use of retained mines, as agreed by States Parties.

Cameroon attended the Fifteenth Meeting of States Parties in Santiago, Chile, in November–December 2016, but did not make any statements. It did not attend the treaty’s intersessional meetings in June 2017.

Cameroon is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines, but not CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Use

Cameroon has previously stated that it has not used, produced, or exported antipersonnel mines and will not facilitate their transit through its country.[2]

Non-state armed groups

In both 2016 and early 2017, UNMAS identified use of pressure plate-initiated improvised mines by Boko Haram in northern Cameroon. However, it is unclear if these improvised mines are detonated due to the pressure exerted by weight of a person or a vehicle.[3]

Most recently, a soldier and two civilians were killed on 15 September 2017 by a landmine planted by Boko Haram between Abdouri and Woulba, in the country’s northern region.[4]

The use of victim-activated improvised mines has regularly been reported in the northern extreme of the country, where it shares borders with Nigeria and Chad, though several of the incidents reported as “landmines” in the press appear to be antivehicle mines or remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.[5] In May 2015, Cameroon’s Defense Minister, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, stated that the Cameroonian military’s efforts to secure the country's northern border with Nigeria are being hampered by landmines planted by Boko Haram.[6] Boko Haram has been documented to manufacture and use victim-activated improvised explosive devices across the border in Nigeria.[7] In 2015, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported the presence of landmines in Fotokol and Mayo Moskota, both in Logone et Chari department.[8]



[1] See, ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 273.

[2] Statement of Cameroon, Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 19 September 2002.

[3] UNMAS, “Mission Report: UNMAS Explosive Hazard Mitigation Response in Cameroon 9 January–13 April 2017,” undated, p. 11.

[4] Simon Ateba, “Cameroon: Over 109 Houses Set on Fire by Boko Haram in Overnight Attacks,” Cameroon Concord, 18 September 2017.

[5] See for instance, Felix Nkambeh Tih, “Landmine explosion kills 2 soldiers in north Cameroon,” Anadolu Agency, 24 April 2014.

[6] Moki Edwin Kindzeka, “Boko Haram Surrounds Havens With Land Mines,” Voice of America (VOA), 24 May 2015; Moki Edwin Kindzeka, “Cameroon Vigilantes Hunt for Boko Haram Landmines,” VOA, 4 March 2016; and “Six villagers injured in Boko haram landmine explosion,” Journal du Cameroun, 17 May 2017.

[7] See, ICBL, “Country Profile: Nigeria: Mine Ban Policy,” 21 November 2016.

[8] UNHCR/International Organisation for Migration (IOM), “Cameroon: Far North – Displaced Population Profiling,” 19 May 2015.


Mine Action

Last updated: 07 November 2018

 

Treaty status

Mine Ban Treaty

State Party
Article 5 deadline: 1 March 2013
Needs to request a new deadline

Mine action management

National mine action management actors

No functioning mine action program

Mine action strategic plan

None

Operators in 2017

Military Engineer Corps
An EOD capacity within the gendarmerieis being created

Extent of contamination as of end 2017

Landmines

Extent unknown. There are no legacy minefields. Reports of landmine incidents and casualties since 2015, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). However, it is not known whether these meet the definition of an antipersonnel mine

Cluster munition remnants

None

Other ERW contamination

Unknown

Land release in 2017

Landmines

Unknown

Progress

Landmines

Cameroon should inform States Parties of any newly discovered antipersonnel mine contamination following the expiry of its Article 5 deadline

Notes: EOD = explosive ordnance disposal.

Contamination

In the Republic of Cameroon the extent of mine contamination, reported since 2015, is not known. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) undertook a monitoring mission in January to April 2017 and reported that in 2016, there were 15 incidents involving “roadside IEDs.” There were six roadside IED incidents in the first three months of 2017.[1] UNMAS did not specify the type of IED, therefore it is not known whether or not these explosive devices meet the definition of an antipersonnel mine, as defined under the Mine Ban Treaty.

In 2017, there continued to be a number of reports of casualties from unspecified mine types. (See Cameroon’s casualty profile for details.) In 2017 and 2018, there were reports of use of antivehicle mines by non-state armed groups. (See Cameroon’s mine ban profile for details.)

A report by a Cameroonian analyst in 2016 claimed that mines had been used extensively around roads, houses, and vehicles, and that “damage caused by these homemade mines is becoming ever more frequent.”[2] Cameroonian military officials reported in 2015 that “huge” numbers of landmines had been planted by Boko Haram along Cameroon’s Nigerian border, posing a threat to civilians, livestock, and soldiers, and reported recurrent use of mines along the road between Kerawa and Kolofata, targeting army vehicles.[3]

There are no legacy minefields in Cameroon, and incidents relating to ERW are reported infrequently.[4]

Program Management

Cameroon does not have a functioning mine action program.

UNMAS reported in April 2017 that Cameroon’s Military Engineer Corps has official responsibility for clearing munitions and that an EOD capacity within the gendarmerie was being created to address the mine threat. A capacity for battle area clearance and EOD spot tasks was also needed, it said.[5]

From March to April 2018, 25 Cameroonian soldiers were trained by the French and United States (US) armies in Level 4 EOD.[6] In June 2017, the US was reported to have donated significant quantities of demining equipment to Cameroon, including metal detectors.[7] 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.[8] Previously, in 2015, Cameroon was reported to have received demining/EOD training and equipment from the US and Russia, and armored mine-detection vehicles were provided by the US Army Africa Command.[9]

In April 2017, UNMAS confirmed that the military and gendarmerie had benefitted from substantial and ongoing specialized capacity support from international actors, including France and the US, but noted a shortage of equipment, and called for further awareness-raising on explosive devices and EOD training.[10]

Land Release

It is not known to what extent mine clearance or EOD has been undertaken in affected areas.

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 all States Parties of any newly discovered antipersonnel mines following the expiry of its Article 5 deadline and ensure their destruction 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 has not submitted an Article 7 transparency report concerning the newly laid contamination. Its last Article 7 report was submitted in 2009. Cameroon must fulfil its reporting obligations under the convention, including on the location of any suspected or confirmed mined areas under its jurisdiction or control and on the status of programs for the destruction of all antipersonnel mines within them.

 

 

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the primary mine action research in 2018 and shared all its country-level landmine reports (from“Clearing the Mines 2018”) and country-level cluster munition reports (from “Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2018”) with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.



[1] UNMAS, “Mission Report: UNMAS explosive hazard mitigation response in Cameroon, 9 January–13 April 2017,” 30 April 2017, p. 11; and email from Camille Aubourg, UNMAS, 17 September 2018.

[2]Boko Haram Landmines Inflict Heavy Toll on Cameroon,” Latin American Herald Tribune, 25 June 2016.

[3] M. E. Kindzeka, “Land Mines Hamper Cameroon, Chad in Fight Against Boko Haram,” Voice of America News, 3 March 2015; and M. E. Kindzeka, “Boko Haram Surrounds Havens with Land Mines,” Voice of America News, 24 May 2015.

[4] UNMAS, “Mission Report: UNMAS explosive hazard mitigation response in Cameroon, 9 January–13 April 2017,” 30 April 2017, p. 1.

[5] Ibid., pp. 12 and 14.

[6] “Génie Militaire - Des démineurs formés,” Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé), 23 April 2018.

[7]US donates mine-clearing devices to Cameroon,” Journal du Cameroun, 24 April 2017.

[8] M. E. Kindzeka, “Cameroon Vigilantes Hunt for Boko Haram Landmines,” Voice of America News, 4 March 2016.

[9] M. E. Kindzeka, “Land Mines Hamper Cameroon, Chad in Fight Against Boko Haram,” Voice of America News, 3 March 2015; and “US Helps Cameroon in Fight Against Boko Haram,” Voice of America News, 17 October 2015.

[10] UNMAS, “Mission Report: UNMAS explosive hazard mitigation response in Cameroon, 9 January–13 April 2017,” 30 April 2017, p. 1.