Cameroon
Practice Relating to Rule 35. Hospital and Safety Zones and Neutralized Zones
Cameroon’s Disciplinary Regulations (1975) provides that each soldier must respect “hospital zones and localities”.
Cameroon’s Instructor’s Manual (2006) states:
Civilian Victims of Armed Conflict
During all military operations, whether in offence or in defence, certain conduct remains prohibited under the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law.
Examples:
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- bombarding hospital zones or localities.
The manual also states: “During military operations, certain so-called protected zones can be established by agreement between the belligerents … These include: hospital zones and localities ”.
Cameroon’s Disciplinary Regulations (2007) states:
Article 31: Humanitarian rules
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Every soldier must:
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- respect medical units, establishments and transports, hospital zones and localities, places where the wounded and sick, civilian or military, are collected, the emblems of the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, which are protective signs as such, as well as medical personnel;
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For the application of the rules addressed in the two preceding paragraphs,
it is evidently necessary that the structures and buildings are not being used for military purposes;
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These rules apply to the extent possible to operations undertaken by airplanes and navy ships against targets on land or at sea.