In the autumn of 2026, lawyers and judicial figures gathered on the island of Sal in Cabo Verde and, in a communiqué that reached the public in late October, turned their attention to a conflict that has run through a decade of Cameroon's history. Their resolutions name the suffering on every side: killings, torture, sexual violence, and attacks on the schools and aid workers meant to sustain ordinary life, carried out by both government forces and armed separatists. They ask for mediation that tackles the old grievances over language, marginalisation and the shape of power, for a justice proc
African Bar Association Calls for International Mediation and Transitional Justice in Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis
Over 3,000 civilians killed and more than one million people internally displaced in the North-West and South-West regions, with attacks on schools, students and aid workers.
A decade on, the lawyers who started it are back at the center
Mark
Why does a bar association's statement matter here? Resolutions are easy to pass.
Mimi
Because of where the crisis started. In October 2016 it was lawyers protesting the use of French in Anglophone courts. Now a continental body of lawyers is returning to those grievances.
Mark
And it criticises both sides?
Mimi
Yes. Resolution 45 names killings, torture, sexual violence and attacks on schools and aid workers, and attributes them to government forces and armed separatists alike.
Luke
Worth noting that the text condemns violations in general terms. The source doesn't show any specific incident being investigated or verified by the association.
Mark
What about the numbers, over a million displaced and more than 3,000 civilians killed?
Luke
The source calls those the association's own assessment. They're cited in the communiqué, not independently established in this reporting.
Mimi
Still, the humanitarian demand is concrete: unimpeded access to people in need in the North-West and South-West.
Mark
Does it say what a settlement should look like?
Mimi
No. It names autonomy and federalism as demands to be addressed, but prescribes no outcome. The government stands by national unity and territorial integrity, and separatists still want independence.
Luke
And there's no enforcement behind any of this. No mediation mission, no timetable, and no word on how a transitional justice body would be built. It's a call, not a process.
Mark
So what should a reader watch?
Mimi
Whether the association, the government or regional institutions turn these resolutions into actual engagement.
Der Puls
- A decade-long conflict in Cameroon's North-West and South-West has left over 3,000 civilians dead and more than one million people driven from their homes.
- The African Bar Association has named abuses by both government forces and armed separatists, unsettling the familiar story of a single guilty party.
- Schools, students and aid workers have been targeted, so the conflict that began over protecting English-language education now endangers the education it once defended.
- The association calls for internationally mandated mediation, transitional justice and humanitarian access, but has set no mission, no timetable and no mechanism.
- Progress now hangs on whether the government, separatists and possible mediators are willing to move from entrenched positions toward negotiation.
In the autumn of 2026, lawyers and judicial figures gathered on the island of Sal in Cabo Verde and, in a communiqué that reached the public in late October, turned their attention to a conflict that has run through a decade of Cameroon's history. Their resolutions name the suffering on every side: killings, torture, sexual violence, and attacks on the schools and aid workers meant to sustain ordinary life, carried out by both government forces and armed separatists. They ask for mediation that tackles the old grievances over language, marginalisation and the shape of power, for a justice process that remembers the victims, and for open access to people cut off from help. Yet the call is a voice rather than a plan, and whether it becomes a settlement will depend on whether those who have long held fixed positions are willing to set them down and sit together.
On the island of Sal in Cabo Verde, at the Oasis Atlantico Hotel Belorizonte, lawyers, judges, government representatives, security experts and civil society groups met from September 20 to 24, 2026, for the African Bar Association's annual conference. Among the resolutions they adopted, several concerned Cameroon, where the Anglophone crisis has now lasted ten years. The association's president, High Chief Ibrahim Eddy Mark, presided, and the resolutions were sent to Cabo Verde's Acting President in a letter dated October 7 and released publicly on October 29.
The resolutions speak plainly about violence. They condemn extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and attacks on schools, students and aid workers, and they place responsibility on both government forces and armed separatists. On politics, the association calls for internationally mandated mediation on the roots of the crisis, including historical grievances, marginalisation and the demand for autonomy or federalism, without prescribing an outcome. The government has pointed to national unity, decentralisation and a special status for the two regions, while separatists still seek independence and others argue for federalism or reform within a united country.
The lawyers also ask for a transitional justice mechanism to hold perpetrators to account, offer reparations and guard against repetition, with affected communities at its centre. They have not said how such a body would be formed. They further demand unimpeded humanitarian access, citing more than one million displaced people and over 3,000 civilians killed, figures the association presents as its own assessment. The damage to schools is especially painful, since the conflict began in 2016 when English-speaking lawyers protested the growing use of French in courts and schools and teachers joined them.
For now, the association has announced no mediation mission and no timetable. Whether these resolutions lead anywhere depends on whether the parties and possible mediators are willing to leave long-held positions behind and negotiate.
On the island of Sal in Cabo Verde, at the Oasis Atlantico Hotel Belorizonte, lawyers, judicial officials, government representatives, security experts and civil society groups gathered from September 20 to 24, 2026, for the African Bar Association's annual conference. Among the resolutions they adopted were several on Cameroon, whose Anglophone crisis is now ten years old.
The association's president, High Chief Ibrahim Eddy Mark, led the conference. Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General, gave the keynote on constitutional governance, security, the rule of law and sustainable development. The resolutions were set out in a communiqué sent to Cabo Verde's Acting President, Janira Hopffer Almada, under a letter dated October 7, and the document was released publicly on October 29.
In Resolution 45, the association strongly condemned violence in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions. It listed extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools, students and aid workers, and the killing of civilians. It attributed these abuses to both government forces and armed separatists, which makes the text notable for assigning responsibility to both sides.
Resolution 46 turns to politics. It calls for internationally mandated mediation on the root causes of the crisis, among them historical grievances, marginalisation, and the demand for greater autonomy or federalism, in line with international law and human rights standards. It does not prescribe an outcome. Questions about protecting the common law system, the status of Anglophone schools, political representation and the division of power between the capital and the regions have been contested throughout. The government has stressed national unity and territorial integrity, introduced decentralisation measures and granted the two regions a special status. Separatists continue to pursue independence, while others argue for federalism, autonomy or reform within a united Cameroon.
Resolution 47 addresses accountability. It asks for a comprehensive transitional justice mechanism to hold perpetrators of atrocity crimes to account, provide reparations to victims and ensure the crimes are not repeated, with the full participation of affected communities. The association did not say how such a body would be constituted.
Resolution 48 deals with humanitarian access. It calls for unimpeded entry to populations in need in the two regions, and states that more than one million people have been internally displaced and over 3,000 civilians killed. The source describes these figures as the association's own assessment. Schools and health facilities have faced repeated disruption, and insecurity has made education, medical care and livelihoods hard to reach in many areas. The education toll carries a particular irony, since the conflict began partly over demands to protect the English-speaking school system.
That beginning is part of why the lawyers' voice matters. In October 2016, English-speaking lawyers demonstrated over the growing use of French in Anglophone courts and schools, and teachers soon joined. The government's response and later political developments widened the confrontation until it became an armed conflict. Despite earlier dialogue efforts and government measures, there is still no comprehensive settlement.
The same communiqué also covers Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, reparations, xenophobia and the independence of international justice institutions. On Cameroon, the association has announced no mediation mission and no timetable for carrying out its recommendations. What happens next depends on whether the parties and any potential mediators are willing to leave long-held positions and negotiate.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Calls for internationally mandated mediation to address the root causes of the Anglophone crisis, including historical grievances, marginalisation, and the demand for greater autonomy or federalism.— African Bar Association, Resolution 46
Calls for a comprehensive transitional justice mechanism to hold perpetrators accountable, provide reparations to victims, and ensure non-recurrence.— African Bar Association, Resolution 47 (paraphrased)
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Genocide Watch ↗
Politics & Governance