Law students from Cameroon excluded from Rwandan bar exams

Law students from Cameroon studying in Rwanda have not been approved to sit for the country’s final bar test. This is because the Cameroonian government has disregarded Rwandan rules for the training of international law students.

Over four hundred Cameroonians studying law in Rwanda say they are upset because their country’s Minister of Justice, Laurent Esso, failed to travel to Rwanda as promised, to address the issue.

Frustration

The pupil advocates who spoke to MMI say they have come to the end of their training. They added that they are likely not to take the bar exams, expressing frustration after years of training.

Some of them who spoke to MMI revealed that their careers are in jeopardy.

“Over 400 of them have not been allowed to register for the Bar exam because of the reciprocity and the unwillingness of the minister of Justice to go to Rwanda and meet his counterpart,” one of the law Students told MMI.

Why are there no laws?

A convention between Rwanda and Cameroon on law practice is inexistent, making it difficult for them to sail through.

“The Rwanda Bar Laws indicate that as one of the conditions Sine qua non for entry, foreigners may only practice as advocates in Rwanda based on reciprocity. What this means simply is that if Cameroonians must be admitted to practice as advocates here in Rwanda, Rwandans too should be able to be admitted to practice as advocates in Cameroon, and as of now, the Cameroonian Bar Law hasn’t made any provision for that,” a pupil lawyer told MMI.

As part of efforts to proffer a solution to the issue, “The president of the Cameroon Bar visited the Rwanda Bar a few weeks back and we were all hopeful for a positive outcome to resolve the situation, but ever since his return nothing has been said or done, and today happens to be the last day for the deposition of files,” he added.

Some candidates who attempted to submit without reciprocity were all rejected.

This is a letter from Me. Atangana Bikouna Claire, the interim bar president at the time, to the Rwanda Bar in 2021, in which she expresses her disappointment at Cameroon’s lack of reciprocity with Rwanda. Due to the significant number of Cameroonian advocates trained in Rwanda, he claimed it is as if the Rwandan Bar had replaced the Cameroonian Bar. When reading the last sentence critically, it appears that “if you (Rwanda) admit them into your Bar, only advocates of Cameroon nationality will be sworn into the Cameroon Bar; Rwandans will never be allowed to swear into the Cameroon bar.” This is unjust since Burundi, Cameroon, and Rwanda had an agreement on reciprocity that allowed them to welcome Cameroonians, but this letter has utterly destroyed everything for us. The reason for blocking the Cameron Bar examinations since 2014 is what frustrates so many people.

In the past, MMI gathered that “the Rwandan Bar has been admitting Cameroonians to practice on the basis that something will be done on the part of Cameroon to resolve the situation, but to date, nothing has been done.”

One of the disgruntled Cameroonian law students said, “I think even a letter from the appropriate authorities to the Rwanda Bar indicating the appropriate authorities have been seized to look into the situation would have been better, but to date, nothing has been done.”

Hopelessness!

Considering the stress of pursuing a legal career in Cameroon, victims say a foreign venture is again proving futile after putting in so much energy and resources.

“We have people’s parents, mothers, fathers, and children who have waited on Cameroon to launch its own bar exams to no avail and have abandoned their families to come and pursue a foreign bar as a means to enter the Cameroonian Bar and now we are all frustrated with so much money and effort spent already,” he lamented.

“They want to destroy the bridge and prevent others from becoming attorneys since they have already done so,” Felix, another student, told MMI.

This was the reciprocity treaty on which Rwanda was counting in order to accept us, but the Interim Batoonier’s letter scuttled those plans. Akere Muna signed the aforementioned agreement.

The students are worried that a lifetime opportunity will pass them by if nothing is done to urgently address the issue. “Cameroon has started the process of setting up a conference, and a lot of money has already been spent. Additionally, the tension is too much. After spending so many years running errands in chambers, Cameroon should take action because we have gone too far to return empty-handed,” another student cried out.

This is not the first time Cameroonian students are facing challenges abroad due to the lacklustre attitude demonstrated by their home authorities.

A few years ago, “It was an issue of originals of the certificate. After much pressure, some universities, including the Mighty University of Yaounde Soa finally produced some diplomas, but some people here in Rwanda don’t still have the certificates, further putting them into a more subtle situation.”

The situation, which has received little attention from Cameroonian authorities, still needs a solution.

Hundreds of Cameroonians in Rwanda affected by the situation are pleading for the government to come to their rescue.

“The main reason for this rejection is the lack of a reciprocity agreement between the Cameroon Bar and Rwanda Bar Associations. This is something that the government can address, only political will is required.”

Mimi Mefo Info