In a regime of a divorce petition before a court in Cameroon, the matter can be considered a contested matrimonial cause or a non-contested matrimonial cause. A contested matrimonial cause is more complicated as the parties to a divorce are at daggers end. Hence the spouses can’t agree on one or more divorce-related issues in the case whilst a non-contested matrimonial cause is one where the parties do not argue on any aspect of the divorce.
The finality of divorce matters in Cameroon is usually by the court granting a decree Nisi, a decree Absolute as well as a consent judgment (Consent Divorce).
In most of the cases of a consent divorce, the parties to the divorce process must have already agreed on certain terms touching on the divorce such as the custody of children, alimony matters, separation of family property, duties of either party towards the upkeep of their children, Visitation rights, etc. In this light, Section 7 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 stipulates that a provision may be made by the rule of the court for enabling the parties to a marriage, or either of them, on an application made either before or after the presentation of a petition for divorce, to refer to the court any agreement or arrangement made or proposed to be made between them, being an agreement or arrangement which relates to, arises out of, or is connected with, the proceedings for divorce which are contemplated or, as the case may be, have begun, and for enabling the court to express an opinion, should it think it desirable to do so, as to the reasonableness of the agreement or arrangement and to give such directions, if any, in the matter as it thinks fit.