Cameroon: Approximately 70 femicides in 2026, and still no specific law or family code

The Cameroonian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family (MINPROFF) has recorded approximately 70 women killed since January 2026 for gender-related reasons, a toll that has fueled protests by several thousand people in Douala and Yaoundé, reported the Associated Press on October 15, 2026.

The official trend continues to rise: at least 50 women killed in 2023, 67 in 2024, and around 60 ten months into 2026. Before the National Assembly on June 19, 2026, MINPROFF reported 50 femicides and 1,599 cases of gender-based violence, including 166 rapes, for the months of January to April alone.

A funeral, then a university entrance exam

The case that crystallized the anger is that of Geraldine Achiah, a teacher in her thirties who was married in July 2026 and died in September. Her husband, Manfred Amambua, has been charged with murder and placed in detention pending his trial; he denies killing her. The family accuses him of beating her to death, and medical records show bruising on her face, according to the Associated Press. Her son, 18-year-old Courage Abombi, took his university entrance exam the day after the funeral.

A penal code where the word "femicide" does not exist

The Cameroonian penal code punishes rape but nowhere defines femicide: judges rely on general provisions relating to homicide. In 2025, a man who pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife was sentenced to a five-year suspended prison term and a fine of 52,000 CFA francs, approximately 90 dollars, according to the same source.

The government is preparing a text that would make femicide an autonomous offense, which is to be submitted to Parliament in November 2026. Minister Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa describes a "cruel" and "alarming" situation.

38 out of 54 African countries have already legislated

Continental comparison is the central argument for activists. According to the League for the Education of Women and Children (LEFE), founded by Pauline Biyong and cited by the Cameroonian site Camer.be, 38 of the 54 African countries have a specific law against violence against women, and 24 have a code for persons and the family. Cameroon has neither.

A preliminary draft law on gender-based violence, consisting of 64 articles, has been circulating since consultations began in November 2023. It would reportedly provide for a restraining order issued within 24 hours and free forensic evidence. Organizations are demanding that the November session be the one for voting: Cameroon is due to be reviewed in 2027 by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.