The Atlantic coast of Cameroon and the land-locked States of Central Africa : evolution
and challenges regarding access to the sea
The problem of access to the sea for States without sea coast is not recent in Law of the sea.
This issue which has known a positive evolution in the course of the twentieth century, as
shown by the codification process that has lead to the adoption of the United Nations
Convention on Law of the Sea, Part X more specifically, remains however current but raises
today in different terms depending on the geographical areas. In the Central Africa’s case, and
particularly with regard to the relations between Cameroon and the landlocked States of this
area (Chad and Central African Republic), the analysis shows that if the sovereignty of transit
State remains a main point in this matter, the influence of new actors (multinational firms), as
regard the transport by pipeline notably, tends to be superimposed on, if not supplant the
sovereignism, putting thus into perspective the purpose behind the idea of right of access. The
present study which examines this new development also gives an overview of how the transit
passage is organized through the Cameroonian territory.