This page was last updated at 2023-02-07 07:05 UTC. Civilians love the way the Amba-boys are behaving with them, he says, using a local nickname for the secessionists. Hundreds have died, close to 500,000 have been displaced, and activists have been rounded up and jailed. Nwana says she is confident they are working on a common communications agenda, [making] sure that it does not just become a diaspora discussion. Many inhabitants identify as Anglophones and resent what they perceive as discrimination and efforts to eliminate Anglophone legal, administrative, educational, and cultural institutions by the Cameroonian government. Instead, Biya, who has been in power since 1982, has ordered a military crackdown on the protests. The lowlands along the coast and the river valleys of Manyu, both of which are parts of the Benue Trough, are warmer. 
The rebels say government schools and offices are legitimate targets as they are used by the French-speaking majority to suppress the English-speaking minority - a notion which authorities reject. 
The government of 83-year-old President Paul Biya has showed no signsto compromise. Germany continued to consolidate its control over the coast through agreements with local leaders backed up by military expeditions. During this period various independence and federalist factions joined to form the Southern Cameroons National Council, a pressure group which undertook initiatives at the UN, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Commonwealth, and with national embassies to bring attention to the region and Anglophone issues in Cameroon. For instance, up to 88.4% of antimalarials in some African markets have been reported as being fake. With fellow diasporans, they launched the Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations (CDN). By the time British Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun gained independence in 1961, the French territory was more economically developed than its British counterpart. In March 2022, the Restoration Council of Ambazonia nominated Njomia as president of Ambazonia. WebAs with other countries in Africa, Cameroons modern-day, bilingual identity was shaped by European colonial powers. Ambazonian nationalists have claimed that the referendum was not free and fair. Yesterday October 1 being a memorable The name Ambazonia derived from Ambas Bay, in the Gulf of Guinea was coined in the mid-1980s by an anglophone dissident lawyer, Fon Gorji Dinka. A few weeks later, Britain and France issued a statement known as the Simon-Milner Declaration, delineating the frontiers between the British Cameroons and French Cameroon. a stressful love affair with a married man. Ongoing violence has led to widely reported human rights abuses by both sides, including indiscriminate killing of civilians, torture, rape and gender-based crimes, and unjustified detentions and kidnappings. Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako is the president of the internationally unrecognised proto-state of British Southern Cameroons, the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls His house in Azi was burnt, and he ran through the bush with his children, avoiding the military along the way. The Ambazonia dispute arose from the disposition of Germanys African colonies after World War I. Peace talks mediated by the Swiss government have fallen apart multiple times, primarily due to factional divisions and lack of actual control over militias by separatist leaders making even preliminary steps difficult. 3 airports 
For weeks now, a deep respite is taking over the conflict, but as Western powers visit President Paul Biyas official residency, Anglophones claims are slipping away from international focus. Samuel Ikome-Sako, who was once the secretary of foreign affairs in Ayuk Tabes IG, was nominated president. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. In 1972, Cameroon held a controversial referendum which changed the form of the state. Cameroons Anglophone crisis: Rivalries hamper peace talks, After Ayuk Tabe agreed to informally meet, Guinea: Benny Steinmetz loses appeal in Swiss corruption case, French-Israeli mining tycoon Benny Steinmetz largely lost on Tuesday his appeal in Switzerland against a 2021 corruption verdict linked to mining, Gabon: 10 things to know about new PM Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze. Cameroon Says Separatist Conflict Slows Reconstruction in Western Regions, A Second Look At Cameroon's Anglophone Special Status, Cameroon Denies Canada's Mediation With Separatists, Canada Initiative Offers Opportunity for Cameroon Peace Process, Govt Denies Canada's Mediation With Separatists, Cameroon Sends Troops to Border After Separatists, Herders Clash, Cameroon Deploys Troops to Nigerian Border After Separatists, Herders Clash, Two Election Officials Killed in Nw Cameroon As Separatists Vow to Disrupt Senate Elections. 
By late 2017, with dialogue efforts moribund and violence continuing on both sides, the leading Ambazonian nationalist movements organized the umbrella organization Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front (SCACUF). According to lawyer Henry Baaboh, Southern Cameroons or Ambazonia does not need to fight for independence because it already attained it in 1961. Herbert Boh, a member of the Ambazonian Coalition Team a collection of nine movements, including IGs established the roadmap for a functional Ambazonian government. Ukraine updates: Poland pledges gear as Zelenskyy visits, How Ukraine's ammunition scarcity is defining the war, Newly enlarged NATO talks China and Ukraine, Controversy surrounds Zambia's divided highway project, Pakistan: Karachi Zoo faces animal neglect accusations, How company profits are keeping prices high, Middle East trend for 'golden visa' schemes accelerating, NASA names crew for Artemis 2 mission to the moon, Shoe designers fashioning a trans-inclusive Argentina, Cameroon: colonial past and present frictions, politically and economically marginalized, Soldiers in Cameroon shoot dead several independence activists. We can speak freely or we can say things that those on the ground cannot most cannot say, because once they do, they could easily be identified and killed. It was from there that he watched as soldiers below opened fire on an elderly woman who was trying to escape. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? Upon independence in 1960 and 1961 the larger French territory joined the southern part of the British one to make modern Cameroon. No country has formally recognized Ambazonias independence, and it is currently the site of an armed conflict between Ambazonian separatists and the 25 years in total after a trial that lasted for close to three years. We came together, a group of us in the US, in Europe and Africa came together to see how we could engage the international community and factions and do a bit of diplomacy and advocacy [] to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, regardless of what the outcome is, she tells The Africa Report. On Friday 5 January 2018, Nigerian forces held him and nine members of his cabinet at the Nera hotel where meetings were being held. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa overall, with The Gambia being the smallest country on continental Africa. You can only ask [President] Biya why he is sending his army to come attack his own people, he says. Nearby, a relative, a young man with disabilities, had been shot dead. If you are reading this message your browser has Javascript disabled. Cameroons Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks? Judith Nwana, a global telecommunications professional, became involved when the central government shut down the Internet in the Anglo North-West, South-West (NWSW) regions. Through WhatsApp and Twitter, Bareta engages with the youth far from Yaounds authority. In 1962, he arrested and imprisoned a number of prominent (Francophone) political opponents on charges of subversion and criticizing the state. In 1958, the Southern Cameroons attained the status of a full autonomous region of the Nigerian Federation and Endeley's official title accordingly changed to Premier. In 1990, opposition political parties were legalized and John Ngu Foncha, the leading Anglophone in Cameroon's government, resigned from the governing party and encapsulated much of the dissatisfaction with the central government's attitude toward the Anglophone regions in his public resignation letter: [I]t became clear to me that I had become an irrelevant nuisance that had to be ignored and ridiculed. Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost none of the claimed territory. SCACUF unilaterally declared the region's independence as Ambazonia on October 1, the anniversary of Southern Cameroons' independence from the United Kingdom. In July 1961, the Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroon Republic delegations met in Foumban, a town in French Cameroon near the border with Southern Cameroons. United Nations On May 30, 2018, the United Nations declared a humanitarian crisis in Southern Cameroons and started organizing aid. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. Badjeck said the military is burning only secessionist camps, not civilian villages. Cameroonian President Paul Biya will have none of it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Despite calls by Southern Cameroons leaders for full independence as a separation nation, United Nations' resolutions 1350 (XIII) of March 13, 1959 and 1352 (XIV) of October 16, 1959 called for plebiscites in Southern Cameroons and Northern Cameroons with two alternatives for ending the trusteeship: joining Nigeria or joining Cameroon. But instead of looking for armed independence fighters, they fired indiscriminately, at times leaving the bodies of young men piled in the streets. Ghana has served notice to a revolutionary separatist movement seeking to forge a new West African nation by jailing five of its members for 25 years in total after a trial that lasted for close to three years. 1134/2002, U.N. Doc. They have additionally argued that the new constitution was legally invalid since changes to the 1961 Constitution required approval from a majority of members of the Federal Assembly (legislature) and from each of the two constituent states, and that the new constitution was never approved by a majority of West Cameroonian legislators. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. On 21 April 1961, UN resolution 1608 (XV) set 1 October 1961 as the date of independence for the Southern Cameroons. 3 airports have international rank and capacity: Douala, Yaound and Garoua; 5 are considered as secondary airports: Maroua, Ngaoundr, Bertoua, Bafoussam and Bamenda. Although the government established a Commission to focus on Anglophone grievances and took steps to address issues of language equity in courts and schools, continued distrust and harsh responses to protests prevented significant deescalation. II, at 194 (HRC 2005)", "The All Anglophone Conference (April 23, 1993)", "Cameroon teachers, lawyers strike in battle for English", "Cameroon restores internet to English-speaking region", "A Turn for the Worse: Violence and Human Rights Violations in Anglophone Cameroon", "Southern Cameroons gets new government with Sessekou Ayuk Tabe as Interim President", "Cameroon government 'declares war' on secessionist rebels", "Cameroon's English-speakers call for independence", "Biya declares war on Anglophone separatists The SUN Newspaper, Cameroon", "Cameroon escalates military crackdown on Anglophone separatists", Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers the rebels fighting for independence, Just In-Dr Samuel Ikome Sako Is New Acting Interim President of The Federal Republic of Ambazonia, "Just In-Dr Samuel Ikome Sako Is New Acting Interim President of The 'Federal Republic of Ambazonia' Cameroon News Agency", "Cameroon: Separatist leader and followers handed life sentences | DW | 20.08.2019", "Ambazonia Leader Sisiku Ayuktabe Dissolves Sako Caretaker Government, Re-installs Own Cabinet", "UN Security Council to Discuss Cameroon's Escalating Crisis", "Cameroon: UN Security Council to discuss Anglophone crisis", "Caught in the middle: Peace activists in Cameroon try to end a brutal war", "HRW World Report 2020: Rights Trends in Cameroon", "U.S. Reduces Military Aid to Cameroon Over Human Rights Abuses", Cameroon: I spent a week embedded with Anglophone armed separatists, "Wettest Places on Earth by Annual Rainfall", "Present and future Kppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution", "PROCLAMATION OF RESTORATION OF INDEPENDENCE & INTERIM CONSTITUTION OF The FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF AMBAZONIA", Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, English-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 2017, Rebel groups that actively control territory, Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Women in Yaounde, Cameroon, carry umbrellas they received as campaign handouts featuring Paul Biya, president since 1982, A map locating the anglophone region within Cameroon, Daniel, an English speaker who fled after government forces attacked his village, A map showing the European colonization of Africa in 1957, Badjeck, a Cameroonian military spokesperson, The countryscrackdown on its English-speaking minority is fuelling support for a secessionist movement. WebCountry in West Africa. In an earlier interview, he acknowledged that there have been cases of human rights abuses but said that they are appropriately investigated and that misbehaviour is not our code of conduct. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. The British Cameroons Administration Ordinance, 1924 divided British Cameroons into the Northern Cameroons (administered as part of Northern Nigeria) and the Southern Cameroons (administered as part of Eastern Nigeria). Commander Candice Tresch, a spokesperson for the US Defence Department, said that the United States has received assurances from the Cameroonian government that US assistance will not be diverted from its intended purpose, which includes fighting Islamist extremists in the north. The war has been characterized by guerilla attacks by separatist militias against both security forces and against civilians suspected of collaboration or simply failing to abide militia's declared school and election boycotts or "lockdowns" which prevent all travel and activity. 237online.com is a Cameroonian news site that offers reliable and accurate information on the most important events in Cameroon, Africa and the world. All the roads in West Cameroon my government had either built, improved or maintained were allowed to deteriorate making Kumba-Mamfe, Mamfe-Bamenda, Bamenda-Wum-Nkambe, Bamenda-Mom inaccessible by road. The following year, English speakers in part of the British territory opted to join Cameroon, and a bilingual country was born. This adds to the volatility engulfing Cameroon as the country gears up for a presidential election in 2018. In November 2016, a number of large protests and strikes were organized, initially by Anglophone lawyers, students, and teachers focused on the growing marginalization of English and Anglophone institutions in the law and education. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. "I think it is that third option which is disturbing Southern Cameroonians up to this day." [The] diaspora has more data than locals.
Ambazonian separatists declared secession from Cameroon and celebrated the independence of Southern Cameroon on 1 October 2017. The island nation of Mauritius ranked as the happiest country in Africa.
The government claims armed English-speaking separatists who want to create a new nation called Ambazonia have terrorised civilians and attacked government forces, prompting the military to retaliate against them. Biyas government, as in the past, cracked down swiftly. The country was given the status of a League of Nations mandate in 1919, it wasadministered by both Britain and France. Googling admirer of england for example turns up links to definitions of anglophile and that sort of thing, but not so for admirer of [the others]. The bay which is located in southwestern Cameroon is considered as the boundary between Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroon. Its main conflict, between the government and separatists from the English-speaking minority, has killed over 4,000 people and displaced 765,000 of whom 60,000 are refugees in Nigeria. The name Ambazonia comes from the Ambas Bay. The island nation of Mauritius ranked as the happiest country in Africa. For decades, Francophones and Anglophones lived in relative harmony. A Second Look At Cameroon's Anglophone Special Status, In 2019, Cameroon's government acknowledged the Anglophone regions' distinct identity by giving them Special Status. The military crackdown has caused so much damage, he says, that he now sees no future for a unified Cameroon. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox. The result was a constitution that provided for a federal structure with two constituent states, East Cameroon (former French Cameroon) and West Cameroon (former Southern Cameroons), but which gave power over most critical issues to the national government (dominated by Francophones). You need the international community to be on board to be able to negotiate with the State from which you are breaking away, says Boh. Aaron, who retired to his village, Oshie, in the northwest, was living quietly, tending to his small cocoa farm for a modest living. The area is covered with dense rain forest. In early January, this pillar of the ruling PDG party succeeded Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda as prime minister. I want to fight for a new country.. Ambazonia is characterized by two main landscapes. Cameroon Bank, West Cameroon Marketing Board, WADA in Wum, West Cameroon Cooperative Movement. 
Rebels on social media have vowed to make the English-speaking Northwest and South regions a breakaway nation they call Ambazonia. Throughout the crisis, the diaspora was empowered by the international community, calling on their support as they achieved new advances. He says one of his nephews was shot dead by the military, and two of his sons went missing after troops opened fire on their village in April. 
Central Africa East and Southern Africa Great Lakes Horn of Africa Sahel West Africa Countries Angola Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Cte dIvoire Democratic Republic of Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Liberia Madagascar Mali Mozambique Niger Nigeria Republic of Congo Rwanda The Southern Cameroons now constitute the Southwest Region and Northwest Region. Please try again later. Report of the United Nations Commissioner for the Supervision of the Plebiscites in the Southern and Northern Parts of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons Under United Kingdom Administration", "The Anglophone Cameroon Crisis. Human rights groups have also accused separatists of attacking security forces and burning down schools, among other abuses. A second country in Africa has recently reported cases of Marburg, an infectious disease that has high fatality rates and, according to the World Health Using ineffective medicines causes between 64,000 and 158,000 deaths from malaria every year in sub-Saharan Africa. Allied naval superiority allowed the swift capture of the Cameroonian coast, cutting the Germans off from reinforcement or resupply. The English speaking region is considered an opposition bastion. On 6 May 2017, the Southern Cameroons Broadcasting Corporation (SCBC) was launched by an Ambazonian comrade in South Africa. What are their strengths ? 2 What is un saying about Southern Cameroon? 994th Plenary meeting. Two reports by British economists, the Phillipson Report in 1959 and the Berrill Report in 1960 both concluded that Southern Cameroons would not be able to continue to finance development and growth as an independent state. Once again, the list of the worlds happiest countries has been released shedding light on the nations where people enjoy the highest levels of well-being and satisfaction with their lives. "The 1961 [Cameroon] constitution gave room for a federation," attorney Henry Baaboh said. The violence led to additional demonstrations, general strikes (called "lockdowns"), and further crackdowns by the government into early 2017, including the banning of civil society organizations, cutting off phone and internet connections from January to April, and arrests of demonstrators. This was in retaliation to the move by French speaking President Paul Biya to unilaterally change the name of the country from United Republic of Cameroon to Republic of Cameroon.
He also acknowledged that troops have faced difficulties distinguishing civilians from separatists. 
In practice, pro-independence militias operate largely autonomously from political leaders, who are mostly in exile.