West Region and Court of Appeal of the North West Region327, the special recruitment328
of English-speaking pupil Judicial and Legal Officers and Court Registrars into the Division
of Magistracy and Registry at ENAM, and the publication of the official English version of
the Uniform Acts of the OHADA. An inventory of all English-speaking Judicial and Legal
Officers was also carried out and they were redeployed in June 2017 on linguistic basis. In the
education sector, in January 2017, English-speaking teachers were redeployed in the 2
Regions concerned. In addition a special recruitment of 1,000 bilingual teachers was
launched.
563- Furthermore, the National Commission on the Promotion of Bilingualism and
Multiculturalism329 was set up. As already mentioned above the Commission is responsible
for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism with a view to maintaining peace,
consolidating the country’s national unity and strengthening its peoples’ willingness and day
to day experience with respect to living together.
564- While the Government was doing its best to address these issues, claims by Lawyers’
and Teachers’ trade unions were gradually transformed into political claims including the
right to self-determination while some are calling for a Federal State and others for the North
West and South West Regions to secede.
Section 2: Right of Peoples to Self-determination (Article 20)
565- The implementation of the right of peoples to self-determination took into account the
contemporary vocation of the right that further integrates the concerns of State governance
with guaranteeing the participation of the people in the management of public affairs and not
only the concerns of the colonial context in which the right to self-determination had
originally taken shape.
566- In this regard, the analysis under Article 13 are relevant in that they include the freedom
of expression of the choice of the people through elections, participation through access to the
Public Service, to public goods and services, and outreach participation within the framework
of decentralization.
567- Moreover, as already mentioned, the socio-political crisis in North West and South West
Regions has threatened to undermine the existing social consensus which is the foundation of
the determination to live together. Concerning claims for external self-determination through
secession, the Government, in line with the position of the African Commission on Human
and People’s Rights, has insisted that secessionist out of the question for the resolution of the
crisis. This was the case in Communication No. 266/03: Kevin Ngwang Gunme and others vs
Cameroon where the African Commission upheld the territorial integrity of Cameroon stating
that secession was not the sole avenue open to Southern Cameroonians to exercise the right to
self-determination.
568- The option for dialogue reiterated at many instances by the highest officials of the land,
will continue to prevail in order to find lasting solutions to the crisis.
327
Law No. 2017/14 of 12 July 2017 to amend and supplement some provisions of Law No. 2006/16 of 29
December 2006 on the organization and functioning of the Supreme Court.
328
Order No. 2257/MINFOPRA of 15 May 2017 to launch a competitive entrance examination for the special
recruitment of 50 English-speaking pupil Judicial and Legal Officers into the Division of Magistracy and
Registry at ENAM for the 2017/2018 academic year and Order No. 2258/MINFOPRA of 15 May 2017 to launch
the competitive entrance examination for the recruitment of 30 English-speaking Pupil Registrars into the
Division of Magistracy and Registry at ENAM.
329
Decree No. 2017/13 of 23 January 2017 to establish, and lay down the organization and functioning of the
National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism.
94