THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT OF REFUGEES IN CAMEROON: MYTHS OR REALITY

ABSTRACT

This work is about the protection of refugees as myths or reality. Here, we examine the protection of refugees using Cameroon as our case study. The work goes further to assess the various refugee rights which are violated. Also, in this work, we examined the various international instruments protecting and preserving the rights of refugees. In addition, this work goes further to access the legal laws and institutions which protect and preserve the rights of refugees in Cameroon. By looking all this, we are going to discover the challenges faced by the international laws and legal institutions, to ensure a successful protection of refugees to an extent. Furthermore, this work goes further to examine the Anglophone crisis which started since 2016 and has generated since then to an armed conflict and causing numerous people to flee away from the country to settle in neighbouring countries and which have put the country under international watch, and due to effort to bring the long crisis to end. There are also challenges of basic needs such as good drinking water, insecurity around the camps and borders, challenges of education, food shortage and lack of access to essential services such as health care which weakens the protection of refugees.There is a need to create an independent and fully developed national institution to implement and coordinate refugee protection.

LIST OF STATUTES

International Statutes

African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights 1986

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2200A (xxi) of the 16th December, 1966 and entered into force on 23nd March 1976.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2200A (xxi) of the 16th December, 1966.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedom adopted by the General Assembly Resolution 217 A on the 10th December 1948

1951 Refugee Convention

1967 Refugee Protocol

The 1969 OAU Convention.

Domestic Statutes 

The Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon1996 and amended by Law No 2008/001 of 14th April 2008 to amend and supplement some previsions of Law No 96/6 of 18th January 1996.

Law No 2005/006 of 27th July 2005 relating to the Status of Refugees.

 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ACHPR                 African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights

ICCPR                   International covenant on Civil and Political Rights

ICESCR                International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

ICESPR                 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

IRL                        International Refugee laws

IHRL                     International Human Right laws

UDHR                  Universal Declaration on Human Rights

OAU                       Organization for African Unity

UNHCR                 United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN                          United Nations

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