Africa
Source tier A. Conventions checked 2026-07-29.
Drug and firearms law in Cameroon: statutes on record and in force
Cameroon, in Africa, is party to 3 of the four instruments tracked here but not to the Firearms Protocol. It is currently under increased monitoring by the FATF. Its legislation on record runs to 3 confirmed instruments, the earliest from 1997. Nothing below is asserted without the document it came from being named alongside it.
International framework
Cameroon is bound by 3 of the four instruments this dataset tracks, the earliest from 1991 and the most recent from 2006. The exception is the Firearms Protocol, and that exception has consequences: there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
| Instrument | Adopted | Ratified or acceded | Depositary reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Convention | 1988 | 28 Oct 1991 | Chapter VI-19 |
| UNTOC | 2000 | 6 Feb 2006 | Chapter XVIII-12 |
| UNCAC | 2003 | 6 Feb 2006 | Chapter XVIII-14 |
| Firearms Protocol | 2001 | not a party | Chapter XVIII-12-c |
What each instrument obliges a party to do is set out once, per instrument, in the conventions reference. The dates above are what is specific to Cameroon: they are the points from which each obligation began to bind, taken from the depositary's own status tables.
National legislation
The following instruments have been confirmed against a citable national source. Titles are given as enacted and are not translated.
Loi n°97-019 du 7 août 1997 relative au contrôle des (No. 97-019) — A principal instrument in its own right, confirmed on the register named below; its subject matter is not stated on the face of its title. Confirmed against the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
Lois - Loi n°97-19 du 07 août 1997 relative au contrôle des stupéfiants (No. 97-19) — A principal drug control instrument, carrying the 1988 Convention's trafficking and confiscation obligations into domestic law. Confirmed against the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice, checked 2026-07-30.
Law No 97-19 of 07th August 1997 relating to the Control (No. 97-19) — A principal instrument in its own right, confirmed on the register named below; its subject matter is not stated on the face of its title. Confirmed against the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice, checked 2026-07-30.
Enforcement authorities
One body is named in the record for Cameroon, each confirmed on Cameroon's own government domain. Naming the body matters because the treaty obligations above bind the state, while the powers to act on them sit with particular institutions under national law.
| Body | Function | Confirmed on |
|---|---|---|
| Gendarmerie nationale du Cameroun | criminal investigation | mindef.gov.cm |
Ratification sequence
The order matters as much as the count. Cameroon came to these instruments over 15 years, beginning with the 1988 Convention in 1991 and ending with the UNCAC in 2006. Measured against each instrument's own adoption, the shortest gap was the 1988 Convention at 3 years, the longest the UNTOC at 6.
Cameroon became a party to the 1988 Convention in 1991, 3 years after it was adopted — faster than the median lag of 5 years across this dataset.
A complete treaty position assembled over decades is not the same as one assembled at once. For the 15 years between 1991 and 2006, Cameroon was bound by the 1988 Convention but not yet by the UNTOC or the UNCAC. The practical effect is on what could be charged, and on what could be confiscated, in the years before the later instruments arrived.
On coverage, Cameroon is one of 22 jurisdiction s here party to 3 of the four, against 81 party to all four. Within Africa the dataset holds 53 jurisdictions, of which 6 are currently under FATF increased monitoring.
What is not in force
One of the four instruments does not bind Cameroon, and the gap has specific consequences rather than symbolic ones.
Firearms Protocol — adopted 2001, and Cameroon is not a party. In practice, there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
Financial-crime monitoring
As of the FATF plenary statements of 2026-06-19, Cameroon is recorded as Increased monitoring . What that status means, and how it differs from the call-for-action list, is set out on the FATF grey list tracker.
Questions about drug and firearms law in Cameroon
Which drug-control conventions has Cameroon ratified?
3 of the four instruments tracked here — the 1988 Convention (28 Oct 1991), the UNTOC (6 Feb 2006), the UNCAC (6 Feb 2006). It is not a party to the Firearms Protocol.
Is Cameroon on the FATF grey list?
Yes. Cameroon is under increased monitoring as of the FATF plenary statement of 19 June 2026. That means the FATF has identified strategic deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing regime and the jurisdiction has committed to an action plan with review deadlines.
What national drug legislation is on record for Cameroon?
Loi n°97-019 du 7 août 1997 relative au contrôle des (No. 97-019), confirmed against the UNODC legal library; Lois - Loi n°97-19 du 07 août 1997 relative au contrôle des stupéfiants (No. 97-19), confirmed against the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice; Law No 97-19 of 07th August 1997 relating to the Control (No. 97-19), confirmed against the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice.
Which register confirms the legislation on this page?
Each instrument names its own. For Cameroon that is the UNODC legal library, the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice. The entries link straight to the document, so the wording can be checked rather than taken on trust.
What is source tier A, and why is this record in it?
Tier A means a national instrument has been confirmed against an official register — for Cameroon, 3 of them. The treaty dates and the listing status are separately sourced, so all three layers of this record carry a citation.
What does it mean that Cameroon is not a party to the Firearms Protocol?
In practice, there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
Sources
- Ratification dates: United Nations Treaty Collection, depositary status tables (chapters VI-19, XVIII-12, XVIII-14, XVIII-12-c). Checked 2026-07-29.
- Listing status: FATF, Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring and High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action, 2026-06-19.
- Loi n°97-019 du 7 août 1997 relative au contrôle des: the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
- Lois - Loi n°97-19 du 07 août 1997 relative au contrôle des stupéfiants: the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice, checked 2026-07-30.
- Law No 97-19 of 07th August 1997 relating to the Control: the Cameroonian Ministry of Justice, checked 2026-07-30.