Doctoral Thesis – University of Plymouth (January 2026)
This doctoral thesis examines how political dynamics and entrenched power structures in Cameroon undermine the effective legal protection of human rights. Focusing primarily on the Anglophone crisis that escalated in 2016, the research provides a comprehensive legal and political analysis of the interaction between governance structures, judicial institutions, and human rights enforcement.
Although Cameroon’s 1996 Constitution formally guarantees civil liberties and incorporates international human rights instruments, this research demonstrates a persistent gap between legal guarantees and their practical enforcement. The thesis argues that political interference, institutional fragility, and systemic neopatrimonial practices have significantly weakened the independence and impartiality of legal institutions.
Central to the analysis is the concept of neopatrimonialism, understood as a system in which political authority is maintained through patron-client networks and personalised control over state resources. The study shows how such structures influence judicial processes, administrative governance, and state responses to dissent. Combined with features of semi-authoritarianism, including constrained political space, suppression of opposition, and limitations on freedom of expression, these dynamics have contributed to widespread human rights violations in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions.
The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining doctrinal legal analysis, political theory, textual analysis, and immersive fieldwork. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Cameroon between April and May 2022 provide original empirical insight from lawyers, journalists, civil society actors, and affected citizens in conflict zones.
The thesis finds that:
- Political consolidation of power has weakened judicial independence.
- Legal institutions often fail to provide remedies for human rights violations.
- Authoritarian governance practices have shaped state responses to the Anglophone crisis.
- International accountability mechanisms have had limited practical impact.
- Structural political culture, rather than purely legal deficiency, is a primary barrier to effective human rights protection.
The study contributes original knowledge by offering a precise application of neopatrimonial theory to Cameroon’s legal and political systems, bridging political science and human rights law. It provides evidence-based recommendations for legal reform, institutional independence, democratic accountability, and pathways toward sustainable peace and conflict resolution.
Ultimately, the thesis argues that meaningful protection of human rights in Cameroon cannot occur without structural political reform. Legal guarantees alone are insufficient when relations of power systematically interfere with their enforcement.
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