Cameroon’s judicial council: years of paralysis demand urgent meeting

On 2 June 2026, President Paul Biya signed a decree appointing members of the Superior Council of Magistracy. Ten of the fourteen members, whose terms had expired a year earlier, were reappointed for a new five-year mandate. The council has not convened since August 2020—nearly six years of institutional paralysis.

Human rights lawyer Felix Nkongo Agbor Balla has described this as a grave institutional failure with far-reaching consequences for the rule of law, judicial independence, and public confidence in the justice system. The Superior Council of Magistracy is constitutionally mandated to oversee magistrates’ careers, discipline, integration, and ethical standards. Its prolonged dormancy has frozen these essential functions, severely weakening the judiciary.

In a January 2026 analysis, Agbor Balla outlined the repercussions. Magistrates who graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) in the past six years have not been formally integrated into the judicial corps. They cannot take the oath or perform judicial duties, creating a critical void in courthouses across Cameroon.

The country now faces an acute shortage of magistrates, leading to overcrowded courts, massive case backlogs, extended pretrial detentions, and systemic delays in justice delivery. The council’s inactivity has also prevented citizens from accessing timely justice, as many judicial posts remain unfilled due to deaths, retirements, or resignations.

Furthermore, the vacuum has led to legally questionable appointments in certain administrative jurisdictions, with judges named without the mandatory prior advice of the Superior Council of Magistracy—the only body authorized to handle magistrate appointments and postings. Disciplinary proceedings are stalled, promotions suspended, and professional misconduct goes unexamined. Upright magistrates become discouraged while corruption flourishes in the absence of oversight.

Given this alarming reality, convening the Superior Council of Magistracy is an urgent imperative. The law requires the body to meet twice a year. Strict adherence to this provision is essential to restore integrity and functionality to Cameroon’s judiciary.