Urgent need for Cameroon’s superior council of the judiciary to convene

President Paul Biya signed a decree on 2 June 2026, renewing the membership of the Superior Council of the Judiciary. Ten of the fourteen members, whose terms had expired a year ago, were reappointed for another five-year term. The council has not convened since August 2020 — nearly six years of inaction.

This prolonged suspension, according to human rights lawyer and advocate Me Felix Nkongo Agbor Balla, constitutes a severe institutional failure with far‑reaching consequences for the rule of law, judicial independence, and public confidence in the justice system.

The Superior Council of the Judiciary is constitutionally mandated to manage magistrates’ careers, discipline, integration, and ethical oversight. “Its continued dormancy has paralysed these essential functions and severely weakened the judicial sector,” the lawyer wrote in a January 2026 analysis that provided a near‑exhaustive assessment 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 exercise judicial functions. This unprecedented situation has created an alarming vacuum in courts across the country,” Me Agbor Balla lamented.

“Cameroon currently faces a critical shortage of magistrates, leading to overloaded courts, excessive case backlogs, prolonged detention, and widespread delays in the administration of justice,” he noted, expressing regret.

“The prolonged absence of a council 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 some administrative jurisdictions, where judges have been designated without the prior advice of the Superior Council of the Judiciary — the only body competent for the appointment and posting of 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,” Me Agbor Balla concluded.

After such a clear and alarming diagnosis, the urgency of convening the Superior Council of the Judiciary is obvious. There is simply a need to strictly adhere to the legislation that requires this body to meet twice a year.