Cameroonian lawyers began a three-day strike on March 5, boycotting courts and tribunals nationwide, following a call by the Bar Council. The strike, scheduled to last until Friday, is being strictly observed, according to Richard Tamfu. “It is an obligation,” he said, confirming his adherence to the Cameroon Bar Association’s directive.

In a statement issued on March 4 by Bar President Mbah Eric Mbah outlined the reasons for the strike, citing “videos circulated widely on social media showing police officers committing acts of violence and other degrading and inhumane treatment against a lawyer and other individuals” on the morning of Saturday, March 1, 2025.

In response to the incident, the Bar Council held an extraordinary session on March 3, condemning “these recurring acts of violence.” In addition to the condemnation, the council decided to initiate a three-day strike and pursue legal proceedings to hold the perpetrators accountable. These decisions were welcomed by the majority of lawyers. “Things will no longer be the same. The dignity and respect of lawyers in the Cameroon Bar will be restored at all costs in this country. In a state governed by the rule of law, a lawyer is respected and protected. Together, we win,” said Tamfu.

This is not the first time Cameroonian lawyers have boycotted courtrooms. In 2020, the Bar Association called for a strike after Richard Tamfu and Armel Tchuemegne Kenmegne were placed in pretrial detention and subsequently sentenced to six months’ suspended imprisonment for “group rebellion and destruction of public property” by the Douala-Bonanjo Court of First Instance. The Bar Council denounced a “planned persecution of lawyers in the Bar” before announcing the suspension of robe-wearing from November 30 to December 4, 2020.

Source: Business in Cameroon