Cameroon Anglophone Crisis: Common law magistrates urged to join strike

Since Common law lawyers went on strike in November 2016, not even a memo or a word has being echoed by magistrates of the common law extraction.

Magistrates of the Common Law extraction in Cameroon have been urged to join their voices to the ongoing common law lawyers strike rather than sit around playacting as if they are not concerned or affected by the demands put forth by the protesting lawyers. This was one of the declarations of the Common Law Lawyers’ conference General Assembly that took place on January 13, 2017 in Kumba, chief town of Meme Division of the South West Region.

In their nine worded proclamation sign by the chairman of the conference Barrister Obenson Greg, the lawyers while affirming their support to all actions undertaken by presidents and executives of the various lawyers association, called on common law magistrates to break the silence and join the struggle. “...we call on all common law Magistrates to examine their consciences and join this struggle instead of sitting and determining suits in the absence of lawyers and in process occasioning gross injustice to litigants by violating their rights to fair trial.” A section of their statement read.

The lawyers who have been on a sit-down strike action since November 2016, met last weekend in Kumba to ascertain the extent of the strike and to decide the way forward. Equally, the agitating lawyers who called on the unconditional release of all those arrested since the start of the strike action and ferried to detention cells in Yaounde and elsewhere also commended the support of all common law lawyers and constituent assemblies.

While applauding the efforts made so far by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, the lawyers added that a referendum exclusively for South West and North Westerners should be conducted for them to decide their faith. Reiterating that the strike will continue till all their demands made in previous declarations and resolutions are met, the lawyers parted to reconvene later in Mamfe come April to assess the level of implementation of this proclamation.