On 3 and 4 December 2019, CTED participated in a legislative assistance workshop organized by Cameroon’s National School for Administration and the Judiciary (ENAM) with the support of the U.S. embassy in Cameroon. The workshop aimed at strengthening Cameroon’s counter-terrorism legislation and institutional framework, including on prosecutions, rehabilitation and reintegration (PRR) of individuals associated with Boko Haram.
CTED produced an analysis of Cameroon’s current CT legislation, on the basis of the recommendations it made after its 2015 assessment visit to Cameroon. CTED also sensitized participants to the Security Council requirements with respect to PRR, as well as those of the Lake Chad Basin Commission’s Regional Stabilization Strategy and to the PRR practices in place in other Lake Chad Basin countries.
Participants of the workshop included representatives of key government agencies involved in addressing terrorism (in particular the Ministries of Justice, of Defense and of Social Affairs), the National Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, criminal defense lawyers and legal scholars, many of whom came from the far north region affected by Boko Haram’s terrorist activity. ENAM will build on the discussions that took place during the workshop to propose legislative changes to improve Cameroon’s counter-terrorism legislation and institutional framework, including on issues related to PRR, in compliance with Security Council resolutions and the international legal framework more generally.