Related Rule
Cameroon
Practice Relating to Rule 29. Medical Transports
Cameroon’s Disciplinary Regulations (1975) provides that, under the laws and customs of war, each soldier must respect medical transports.
Cameroon, Règlement de discipline dans les Forces Armées, Décret No. 75/700, 6 November 1975, Article 31.
Cameroon’s Instructor’s Manual (1992) provides that medical transports exclusively used to transport wounded, sick and shipwrecked and medical material enjoy the protection granted thereto by the laws of war.
Cameroon, Droit international humanitaire et droit de la guerre, Manuel de l’instructeur en vigueur dans les Forces Armées, Présidence de la République, Ministère de la Défense, Etat-major des Armées, Troisième Division, Edition 1992, p. 68, § 243.1.
Cameroon’s Instructor’s Manual (2006) states:
352.2 – Special protection: (persons and objects specially protected.)
Certain categories of persons and objects benefit from special protection under the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law, both in the civilian domain and in the military domain.
…
352.20 Military medical services
…
The totality of land, air and sea means of transport dedicated to the transport of victims of armed conflicts (except for prisoners of war), medical and religious personnel and medical equipment or furniture constitute medical transports [and are specially protected].
Cameroon, Droit des conflits armés et droit international humanitaire, Manuel de l’instructeur en vigueur dans les forces de défense, Ministère de la Défense, Présidence de la République, Etat-major des Armées, 2006, p. 92, § 352.2 and p. 93, § 352.20; see also p. 135, § 412.20 and p. 188, § 492.B.
The manual also states: “Medical transport must not be used … in combat.”
Cameroon, Droit des conflits armés et droit international humanitaire, Manuel de l’instructeur en vigueur dans les forces de défense, Ministère de la Défense, Présidence de la République, Etat-major des Armées, 2006, p. 222, § 221.
Cameroon’s Disciplinary Regulations (2007) states:
Article 31: Humanitarian rules
…
Every soldier must:
…
- 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;
…
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;
…
These rules apply to the extent possible to operations undertaken by aircraft and navy ships against targets on land or at sea.
Cameroon, Règlement de discipline générale dans les forces de défense, Décret N° 2007/199, Président de la République, 7 July 2007, Article 31.
Cameroon’s Instructor’s Manual (2006) states:
352.2 – Special protection: (persons and objects specially protected.)
Certain categories of persons and objects benefit from special protection under the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law both in the civilian domain and in the military domain.
…
352.20 Military medical services
…
Hospital ships (measuring more than 2000 gross tonnes) are charged with providing assistance to the victims of war [and are specially protected].
Cameroon, Droit des conflits armés et droit international humanitaire, Manuel de l’instructeur en vigueur dans les forces de défense, Ministère de la Défense, Présidence de la République, Etat-major des Armées, 2006, p. 92, § 352.2 and p. 93, § 352.20; see also p. 135, § 412.20.
The manual also states: “The medical personnel on hospital ships (as well as their equipment) must not be captured during the entire time that they are in service on these ships.”
Cameroon, Droit des conflits armés et droit international humanitaire, Manuel de l’instructeur en vigueur dans les forces de défense, Ministère de la Défense, Présidence de la République, Etat-major des Armées, 2006, p. 122, § 403; see also p. 123, § 403 and p. 165, § 463.
