Anglophone Crisis: Will The New Bar President Succeed Where Ngnie Kamga Failed?

Over 2000 members of the Cameroon Bar Association, have elected new heads to man the affairs of the Bar for the next two years.

This was during an Elective General Assembly organised on November 24 to 25, 2018, in Douala.

Following the elections, Barrister Morfaw Evaristus, was elected the President of the General Assembly, while Barrister Tchakounte Charles Patie was voted as the President of the Bar Council.

The former took over from Barrister Jackson Ngnie Kamga, while the later took over from Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle.

Barrister Tchakounte swept an overwhelming majority of 1158 votes, while the incumbent President, Barrister Ngnie Kamga, managed only 758 votes, in the 10th position.
Conceding defeat, the incumbent President, bowed out of the race, even before the elections could come to an end.

Meanwhile, the new Bar Council President, who ran under the slogan, we shall not work alone, promised to galvanise all dissenting voices so as to put an end to the restive Anglophone Crisis.
“The crisis that ruptured the mandate of his predecessor, has degenerated to armed conflicts, something which could have been avoided. We pray he seeks a lasting end to it as he promised,” a lawyer told MMI.
It should be noted that many looked up to the Bar Council, to advocate for the end of the Anglophone crisis.

Many say, the President, barrister Ngnie Kamga, was seemingly unmoved about the crisis, and so paid little or no attention.
Others hold that he could do more than just fighting for the resumption of court activities in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon.

Many members of the Cameroon Bar Association are on exile abroad, the rate of human right violation in Southern Cameroon is on a steady rise and the Bar Council is yet to make an official stance on the crisis.

Barrister Tchakounte lives and practices in Douala. He has been practising for over 27 years. He initially contended for the position four years ago, but narrowly lost to Barrister Ngnie Kamga.

He shall be working in close collaboration with some 14 others.

On his part, the new President of the General Assembly, Morfaw Evaristus, was called to the Bar in 1999.

He has an LLB from the university of Yaounde II, Soa, Master’s in human Rights at the Catholic University of Central Africa, and a Diploma in Human Rights Litigations, HEA.

He is a Research student of International Criminal Law, and an expert and consultant in human rights.

The newly elected have a mandate of two years renewable once.

MMI