The Legal Protection of Persons Living with Disabilities During Armed Conflicts: The Case of the North West Region of Cameroon
Keywords:
Boko Haram , Anglophone , PWDs’ rights , Geneva Conventions, Hague Law of IndependenceAbstract
Due to the Boko Haram insurgency that has plagued the Far North Region of Cameroon and the socio-political turmoil afflicting the two Anglophone (North West and South West) regions, Cameroon has lost its position as one of the most peaceful countries in Africa and the world over the previous decade. Several experts and commentators have written extensively about the consequences and symptoms of these crises, with a focus on economic development and political implications. Regrettably, little has been done to protect individuals with disabilities (PWDs) living in these afflicted areas. Despite the existence of a 2010 law on the protection and promotion of persons with disabilities, this law does not clearly include their protection during armed conflicts, resulting in little or no respect for PWDs’ rights as civilians during armed conflict. As a result, the goal of this paper is to investigate the legal safeguards accessible to people with disabilities in the North West region during this period of crisis.
It accomplishes this by researching and analyzing the numerous legislative provisions enacted to protect the rights of PWDs during armed conflict. The findings indicate that, in spite of the existence of certain legal instruments that regulate the conduct of warring factions, such as the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols and the Hague Law of Independence, they are not adequate and are often violated by the soldiers of the different warring factions, especially in non-international armed conflicts, like that in Cameroon. The state, on its part, has made very little effort to promote and protect PWDs living in the North West region during this armed conflict. This article therefore suggests that the 2010 law on the rights of PWDs in Cameroon be revisited to cover periods of crisis and emergencies as well as set up centers or bodies with enforcement powers to enforce PWD rights.
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