A delegation of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights is currently examining the human rights situation in Cameroon.

The Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, Reine Alapini-Gansou says the key areas of her scrutiny on the human rights situation in Cameroon will be detention conditions as well as the rights of women and journalists. Reine Alapini-Gansou was speaking yesterday, February 2, at the Ministry of External Relations on the second-day of her working visit to Cameroon. She is accompanied by Cameroonian-born Justice Lucy Asuagbor who is the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa in the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

The African Human Rights Commission boss told journalists that her visit to Cameroon was to examine the state of promotion and protection of human rights in the country, stating that the Commission at each moment has specific issues to examine in each member country. She expressed satisfaction that Cameroon has been forwarding periodic reports on the human rights situation in the country to the Commission. Cameroon sent the first report to the Commission in 2002 and it was examined in 2006, while the second periodic report was forwarded in April 2008 and the Commission examined it in May 2010. The current visit is to evaluate the level at which Cameroon has implemented the recommendations on the reports made by the African Human Rights Commission, identify difficulties and chart the way forward. Reine Alapini-Gansou also expressed satisfaction that Cameroon has opened its doors to officials of the Commission. This is because in 2006, she was in Cameroon in her capacity as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa.

Reine Alapini-Gansou and her delegation have a busy work schedule in Cameroon. As early as 9:00 a.m. yesterday, they were received in audience by Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Henri Eyebe Ayissi. From the Ministry of External Relations, the African Human Rights Commission delegation moved to the Ministry of Justice where they had a working session with senior officials of the Ministry led by the Minister Delegate, Maurice Kamto.  The African Human Rights Commission Delegation also had a working session with the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation (MINATD), Marafa Hamidou Yaya and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Jean- Baptiste Bokam. All the working sessions were behind close doors and the leader of the visiting African Human Rights Commission delegation only made a press declaration after meeting the Minister of External Relations. Later in the afternoon, the delegation was programmed to have a working session at the General Delegation for National Security and the Supreme Court. The major highlight of the delegation’s working session today will be an audience with Cameroon’s Prime Minister.