Cameroon’s top judicial council must convene immediately, say experts

In his political editorial broadcast on Monday, June 8, 2026, Cameroonian journalist Eric Boniface Tchouakeu highlighted the pressing need for a session of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, following recent appointments by the head of state.

On June 2, 2026, President Paul Biya signed a decree appointing members to the Supreme Council of the Magistracy. He renewed ten of the fourteen members whose terms had expired a year ago, granting them a fresh five-year mandate. The council has not convened since August 2020 – nearly six years ago.

According to human rights lawyer Felix Nkongo Agbor Balla, this amounts to a serious institutional failure with deep consequences for the rule of law, judicial independence, and public trust in the justice system.

The Supreme Council of the Magistracy is constitutionally responsible for managing magistrates’ careers, discipline, integration, and ethical regulation. “Its prolonged inactivity has paralysed these essential functions and considerably weakened the judicial sector,” the lawyer wrote in a January 2026 op-ed, offering a near-exhaustive diagnosis of the situation.

“One of the most worrying consequences of the council’s inaction is that magistrates who graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) over the past six years have still not been formally integrated into the judiciary. As a result, they cannot take the oath or perform judicial duties. This unprecedented situation has created an alarming vacuum in courts across the country,” Agbor Balla deplored.

“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 noted with regret.

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

“This vacuum has led to legally questionable appointments, particularly in certain administrative jurisdictions, where judges have been appointed without the council’s prior advice – even though the council is the only body competent for appointing and assigning magistrates.”

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

Given such a lucid and alarming assessment, the urgency of convening the Supreme Council of the Judiciary is obvious. The only proper course is strict adherence to the law, which stipulates that this body must meet twice a year.