Maritime Security, Ocean Governance: Cameroon Reaffirms Commitment

The Secretary General of the Ministry of External Relations, Chinmoun Oumarou, led the Cameroonian delegation to the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the member countries of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (ZOPACAS), held from 8 to 9 April 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. This was at the invitation of the Brazilian government that assumes presidency of the gathering that brought together 24 countries. In attendance were representatives of Foreign Ministries of countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern hemisphere. For what it's worth, ZOPACAS is a diplomatic mechanism established in 1986 by the United Nations to keep the region free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. The Zone of Peace and Cooperation comprises Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and 21 countries along Africa's west coast, from Senegal to South Africa.

The Cameroonian delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Defence and Cameroon's Embassy in Brasilia. In the course of deliberations, the head of the delegation delivered a message in which he reiterated Cameroon's commitment to multilateralism, particularly in maritime security and ocean governance.

At the conclusion of the meeting, several documents were adopted, notably the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and its Act...