Jean de Dieu MOMO, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Justice granted an audience to Stephane BONAMY, the head of the regional delegation of International Committee of the Red Cross-ICRC on Wednesday 22 September 2022. The audience which took place at 11 am at the Minister Delegate’s office proceeded of a workshop that brought the 2 institutions together on Friday 16th September 2022.
Accompanied by his Legal Advisor, the head of the regional delegation of ICRC expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Justice for granting the audience and for the constant collaboration they have always shown to ICRC. Stephane BONAMY revealed that his presence at the Ministry of Justice was to discuss about legal matters and issues relating to the operations of ICRC on the field, in war zones, prisons, and with internally displaced people.
ICRC in Cameroon employs about 50 expats and up to 250 local personnel. In 2014, ICRC came in contact with the Ministry of Justice for the first time. The collaboration nowadays has taken many forms. Trainings directed towards Pupil Magistrates at ENAM, sensitization and vulgarisation of international humanitarian law principles, interministerial workshops and seminars among others. Minjustice and ICRC are also working on a law project that is expected to be examined before parliament and perhaps adopted. The law project shall be about health care and services in times of war. It shall be mainly about how to protect health care professionals and institutions and enable them deliver safely their services during war and crisis.
Minister Jean de Dieu MOMO exhorted ICRC not to copy the bad examples of other non-governmental organisations who publish fallacious reports and make presumptuous allegations about Cameroon and some situations without any fact checking. In so doing, they play the game of the opposition and do more harm than good. He called on ICRC to remain vigilant and do their job impartially in total transparency and so maintain the trustful relations that has always existed between the two entities. Jean de Dieu MOMO told ICRC to come to the source anytime a problem or misunderstanding arises.
