Cameroon: the urgent case for convening the higher judicial council

Cameroonian journalist Eric Boniface Tchouakeu sounded the alarm in a June 8, 2026 editorial, stressing the immediate need for the Higher Judicial Council to meet after presidential appointments.

On June 2, 2026, President Paul Biya signed a decree naming the members of the Higher Judicial Council. In effect, he renewed ten of the fourteen members—whose terms had been expired for a year—for another five-year term. The council has not convened since August 2020, meaning nearly six years have passed without a session.

Human rights lawyer Felix Nkongo Agbor Balla warned that this constitutes a grave institutional failure with profound consequences for the rule of law, judicial independence, and citizens’ confidence in the justice system.

The Higher Judicial Council is constitutionally responsible for managing magistrates’ careers, discipline, integration, and ethical oversight. “Its continued suspension has paralyzed these essential functions and severely weakened the judiciary,” Agbor Balla wrote in a January 2026 analysis.

“One of the most alarming outcomes is that magistrates who graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) over the past six years have not been formally integrated into the judicial corps. As a result, they cannot take the oath or exercise judicial functions. This unprecedented situation has created a dangerous void in courts across the country,” he noted.

“Cameroon is currently facing a critical shortage of magistrates, leading to overcrowded courts, excessive case backlogs, prolonged detentions, and widespread delays in the administration of justice,” he added.

“The prolonged absence of the council’s meeting also deprives citizens of swift access to justice, especially since many posts remain vacant due to deaths, retirements, or resignations.”

“This vacuum has led to legally questionable appointments, particularly in administrative jurisdictions, where judges have been designated without the council’s prior advice, even though it is the only body competent for magistrate nominations and postings.”

“Beyond integration, disciplinary procedures are blocked, promotions are suspended, and professional misconduct cannot be examined. Honest magistrates are discouraged while corruption flourishes in the absence of oversight,” Agbor Balla concluded.

Given such a clear and alarming diagnosis, the urgency of convening the Higher Judicial Council is obvious. The law stipulates that this body should meet twice a year, and strict adherence to that requirement is now essential.