UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination suggests Cameroon government may be in breach of its duty to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights

UNCERD highlights concerns that concessions awarded to palm oil company CamVert are leading to dispossession and forced displacement of traditionally-owned Indigenous lands.

** UPDATE: UN-CERD has extended the deadline for the Cameroonian government to respond from October 2023 to March 2024. Please see the full letter here **

The UNCERD letter, sent to the Cameroonian government in August, responds to a submission made to the UN body by FPP and partners in March 2023, sent at the request of seven Bagyeli Indigenous communities. The submission provided information on how rapid deforestation and the establishment of palm oil plantations on Bagyeli land is violating national law and international standards.

The letter states that if the actions highlighted by the Submission were verified, then it would be a breach of the Cameroonian government’s responsibility to recognise and protect the rights of the Bagyeli Indigenous Peoples “to own, develop, control and use their traditional and communal lands, territories and resources.”

Read the full response from UNCERD 

The letter also reiterates the recommendations it has previously made to the Cameroonian government in relation to the lands of Bagyeli Indigenous Peoples in April 2022. It identifies that the current legislative framework for Indigenous Peoples to gain collective land ownership is too slow, and that the government should ensure that Indigenous Peoples are consulted on any projects that may affect their lands, including gaining Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

If the Cameroonian government does not take action, around 60,000 hectares of Cameroonian forest will have been deforested by Cameroonian company CamVert in order to grow oil palm – a substantial portion of this being on the customary forest lands of the Bagyeli Peoples. This results in dispossession, potentially forced displacement, and the risk of serious and irreperable harm to the Bagyeli communities.

The Committee has requested a response from the Cameroonian government by November 3rd, 2023. They ask for further information on the measures the state is making to:

• Suspend or revoke oil palm concessions to CamVert until free, prior and informed consent is granted by the Bagyeli people;
• Refrain from granting oil palm concessions within the traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples (titled or not) without obtaining free, prior and informed consent;
• Ensure that Indigenous Peoples have access to effective and prompt judicial and other remedies to seek protection for their rights;
• Review the legislative framework on land ownership and compensation to
  • Ensure that Indigenous Peoples have the right to own, use, develop and control their lands, territories and resources
  • Incorporate free, prior and informed consent in domestic legislation, with the participation of Indigenous Peoples
  • Guarantee the right to consultation for Indigenous Peoples

We call on the government of Cameroon to provide further information before November 3rd in order to move forward with this case and ensure the rights and lands of the Bagyeli Indigenous Peoples are respected under Cameroonian and International law.