Implementation of Int’l Humanitarian Law: ECCAS member states officials reflect on road covered, reaffirm commitment.

The was the main issue at the centre of a two-day subregional round table conference held in Yaounde. 

The conference which ended Thursday November 28, was placed under the patronage of the Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Mbella Mbella.

Organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, in collaboration with ECCAS, the conference brought together representatives from Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe, Cameroon as well as various regional and sub-regional organisations, like the African Union.

The opening of the conference Wednesday was co-chaired by the Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Africa, Stephane Bonamy and the Director of Decentralized Cooperation at MINREX, Ebenezer Mouandjo, on behalf of the Minister. 

Speaking during the event, the ICRC Regional Delegation Head said the conference was aimed at evaluating the level of implementation of international humanitarian law in the region and to look at the practice of the states when it comes to integrating those treaties and rules within the national legal framework. 

“The second objective is to put the International Humanitarian Law at the centre of government policies or a political priority in the sense that it has to be endorsed, acknowledged by the state as being their responsibility to make sure in conflict those rules are respected and everything is being done to respect those rules,” Bonamy added. 

The ICRC official further said that the dissemination of agreements, treaties and other texts in force, as well as the propagation of established practices within member states, will help to ensure that all stakeholders, both the general public and experts in the field, take ownership of IHL. 

“The round table's undisguised ambition is to strengthen the role of humanitarian law in resolving the security challenges that exist at sub-regional level, and to help ensure that the humanitarian aspect of these challenges is properly addressed,” he indicated in his opening remark.

MINREX representative hails collaboration

In his inaugural speech, the Representative of the Minister of External Relations saluted the sacrifices and efforts of the different delegations to be at the conference in Yaounde

“I also want to salute the efforts made by the ICRC in the promotion of the IHL in the subregion. It is thanks to the excellent collaboration between our different governments and partners that this present conference was made possible,” Mouandjo stated. 

While taking into account the challenges international and subregional context marked by security concerns and climate crisis, underwhich the Yaounde confab is taking place, he reaffirmed the commitment of the Head of State of Cameroon to the respect of the IHL and fundamentals principles that guide humanitarian actions. 

“This round table is an opportunity for us to have a retrospective view on the road covered, and to make projections on our common challenges,” Moundjo emphasised. 

He also hailed the efforts and engagement of the ICRC Head of Regional Delegation for his unwavering efforts towards effective humanitarian actions in the subregion and our country that host its branch office. 

During the two-day confab, constructive discussion centred on the theme “International Humanitarian Laws and fight against terrorism and humanitarian access to EECA member states”.

The conference comes at a time when members of the movement are commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, with emphasis on raising awareness of the problems associated with controlling the circulation of weapons, forced population displacement and the fight against terrorism.  

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3305 of Friday November 29, 2024