Tag: Ambazonia

Community Schools in Ambazonia: a growing reality, LRC confirms

In a helpful progress check for the citizens of Ambazonia, a LRC functionary has “banned” several Community Schools.

This ban is going to be as effective as the ban on scbc TV a few years ago. Actually much less so. Whatever effect it has in the short term, the long list demonstrates the increasing confidence of Ambazonians to take their dignity in hand and control their own future. In the long term the Ambazonians have decided they need to provide the opportunities their children need to unleash their creativity and join modern society.

Ambazonians can be reassured that their education system will give their children more valuable qualifications than they would get under the LRC colonial system where qualifications do not lead to any kind of social advancement. LRC’s system is riddled with nepotism and corruption so that those who get the jobs sometimes do not need to have gained any qualifications, or sometimes even have studied at all.

Congratulations to the Ambazonians for making the break. An interim curriculum is understood to be in the works and likely to be available in the near future.

Collaboration will consolidate our dignity and freedom.

Our children will shine like the stars above as the most High God is the Watchman of our nation.

Ambazonian Institutions Prove Strong In Election Process

Ambazonian Flag


Ambazonians

“The Most High God be the Watchman of This Nation!”, is the prayer our children make every time they sing our beautiful Ambazonian Anthem. It would appear, the Almighty is granting this prayer, for our Liberation is proceeding regardless of the wariness that has crept into many of us. Our people are enjoying and manifesting their dignity more and more openly and with less and less regard for the intimidation and repressive tactics of La Republique Du Cameroun.

Ambazonians shall prevail as a people, together of equal value and status whether they are, individually, enduring the terror of La Republique du Cameroon militias on G0, or enduring the uncertainty of life on G1, or enduring the homesickness of the Diaspora. Ambazonians all need to collaborate and hasten the growth of our collective dignity and freedom. Collaboration is the answer.

The Election Commission of Ambazonia

The Election Commission of Ambazonia, ECA, has acknowledged the weaknesses in the Election Modalities and promised to review same for future elections. This implies the ECA receives the petitions but has deemed the irregularities not to be blocking to the temporary use of the modalities.
This is the very strength that we hoped for in the ECA. The Commission must now make sure they can run the process with as few hitches as possible of their own volition. The first task hence is to duly issue the electoral list of all qualifying voters, regardless of how the ECA has deemed them qualifying.

The Restoration Council

The Restoration Council, RC, which did drop the ball on the production of the Modalities, has similarly, by implication stood up to the Executive by not caving. Unlike the ECA, RC has not yet acknowledged its weaknesses and, therefore has not deemed it necessary to self-reflect and improve. This is a weakness indeed as the RC has tended, in this whole episode to be looking down on the very people they represent and ignoring their concerns. The RC allowed itself to be misrepresented by individuals who went on the defensive to accuse all and sundry of sabotage rather than acknowledging the validity the petitions. At present, this writer would place a question mark over the relevance of the RC as a representative body for a young and vibrant Ambazonia.

The Executive

The Executive, in the person of the President has shown the strength in standing up to and highlighting a dangerous ad-hoc attitude from the RC in serious constitutional matters. In this saga Candidate Marianta Njomia was always at a disadvantage as she is acting simultaneously as the Executive and as a Candidate. It is fair to say she has invested more energy in the former role to the detriment of the latter. That can only be interpreted as a demonstration of the patriotic zeal needed to prosecute our Liberation struggle. This writer commends Candidate Marianta Njomia for making the bold decision to selflessly prioritize the right thing over the interest of her campaign for election. The point has been made and the candidate should now rely on the Ambazonian people to take up the responsibility for balancing the tension between the RC and The Presidency. This writer believes that Candidate Marianta Njomia should resume her place as a Candidate and put her program in front of the electorate.

President calls halt to elections until modalities fixed

President Marianta Njomia has cited grave irregularities in the electoral process in suspending the poll urging the Restoration Council to regularise the modalities to ensure the elections call hold in a constitutional atmosphere. The call is contained in a letter addressed on Thursday 25 August 2022 to the Chair of the RC.

The major stumbling block is the fact that the Modalities were not submitted for promulgation by the president as per the provisions of the Constitution, meaning they are technically not the law and the process is unconstitutional.

The President stresses that the RC document provides for the requirements to be completed in time for the poll to hold as planned.

Rea the letter from here

Read the Election Modalities here

Read the Interim Constitution of Ambazonia

Statement by Abdul Karim Ali.

AKA

This Statement is informed, on the one hand, by the wishes of encouragement flowing from family, friends, well-wishers and sympathizers as well as their desire, on the other hand, to know how I am doing or holding up, in detention.

I was abducted on the afternoon of August 11, 2022, at Ntamulung by the Gendarmerie of La Republique du Cameroun. I was taken to Groupement and then later to Compagnie. I was held in communicado, without permission and space to pray and without food for four days.

The conditions of my abduction are illegal and unjustified. The conditions of detention are unspeakably deplorable. My lawyers have an idea and can indulge you. My focus in this statement is to commune with you.
To my family and well wishers I want you to know that I am firmly planted and standing on your faith, good will towards me and your prayers for me. To everybody else I want you to know that God, in his divine providence, has put me here in Southern Cameroons at this time and place for a specific reason – to serve his people and his purpose.

That purpose is found in his will. His will is to seek truth and justice. Justice in this time and space in Southern Cameroons lies in bringing all parties and stakeholders together, on a dialogue table without pre-conditions, where the root cause of the raging crisis can be identified and sustainable solutions sought for culminating in the peaceful evolution, actualization and realization of the suffering people of Southern Cameroons.
This is my life’s mission and purpose. The advocacy of the inalienable right of every Southern Cameroonian to self-realization. This life mission is divinely ordained. I accept and assume it with all humility. I will live with it. I will live for it. I will suffer for it. I will be in prison for it. I am in jail for it. I will undergo torture for it. I will die for it if need be and if it came to it.

I am now undergoing psychological and physical torture for it. Even so, I do not intend to switch positions with anybody. Every passing second, minute and day I feel the pangs on my flesh and body. Even so, I must tell you that my soul and spirit are strong. The feel the fuel that powers this fortitude coming from all Southern Cameroonians, my well-wishers and the almighty God.
In this faith, and with this faith I will stand strong like the rock of my faith and the inspiration of the forebears of every resistance and struggle.

With this faith, I ask all people of good faith to help me in this journey of truth seeking and peace building. With this faith. I promise to keep up the good fight and to continue putting my family, friends and well-wishers in ‘good trouble’.

This is our appointment with destiny. This is our commitment to posterity. This is the task of the present and the hope of the future.
With this hope, I will keep standing in this contaminated water in my cell or laying down on the bug infested plank of my interrogation cell until the doors of the room open, wherein the round dialogue table stands in the middle, waiting for all stakeholders to come, sit around and seek the truth.

But before you pause to ponder about my inhumane condition, I want you to pause first and ponder the death of all the heroes of Southern Cameroons. I want you to pause and ponder the death of all the young people who are losing their lives everyday in a war that was totally avoidable and still is stoppable, even as I sit in this cell.

I want you to pause and ponder the inhumanity that has been heaped on our brothers and sisters who are languishing in the prisons if LRC simply for articulating an opinion as to their preference of a Homeland where they can self-realize and self-actualize.

When you consider all those who have paid the ultimate prize of freedom, those who are serving undeserved life sentences, those who are sitting in jails like mine uncharged, untried and not knowing what will happen to them on a daily basis, those who are scared stiff of the unpredictability and impunity of the system and those who are on their knees every minute praying for a miracle to end the war in Southern Cameroons, then you can decide for yourself what your own individual sacrifice will be.

To my wife, kids and family I beg that you keep the faith. I know and trust that you will keep trusting in what Allah has in store for us and all our People.
To my compatriots and fellow countrymen, I employ you to hold hands, tighten our ranks, keep our focus on the enemy, never losing focus of the ever tempting, corruptive, disorganizing and disruptive nature of the enemy and remember always and forever that our rendez- vous is at the foot of Mount Fako, in Buea.
To my well-wishers and the international community, I exhort you to bear with us. Please redouble your efforts in holding up the mirror to our friends and relevant stakeholders – a mirror in which the errors of history beginning with colonial greed, through UN Charter miscarriages, to unfulfilled promises and flagrant breaches of constitutional and other international legal instruments, culminating into the acknowledged, albeit failed, attempts to assimilate a people who have lost almost all sense of national and individual worth but who have now risen and now sworn never to be enslaved again in a status quo that denies them their fundamental humanity and dignity. Hold up this mirror so that there is individual national accountability to foster a sense of collective responsibility for the plight of Southern Cameroons whose claim to a UN forgotten prodigal son status cannot be denied, underestimated or ignored any longer.
Hold this mirror of history and let it reflect an international resolve and concrete efforts in pushing the parties – the Government of Cameroun and the diversified tentacles of the Southern Cameroons’ octopus, to the inevitable table of dialogue, mediation and conciliation, reassured by the hope and promise of truth, justice and peace.
I am not asking that you, the international community, do all our heavy lifting for us. The burden and the lifting rests with us. This is our duty. We, Southern Cameroonians, know it, assume it and accept it.
All we ask is that you create an enabling environment for us to stand on, pivot and do the lifting that not only you expect from us but a lifting which history and our posterity requires and expects from us – on ground Zero and everywhere in the Diaspora.

In all I pray and ask for the intercession of the Almighty God who is all knowing, all planning and all merciful. Thank you and stay blessed.

Abdul Karim Ali
Detained at the Gendarmerie Compagnie at Upstation in Bamenda

Ambazonia’s legal rights … According to the law

The following was found on one of the Ambazonian social media fora. It is a long read but provides reassuring legal expertise regarding often discussed legal righteousness of the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle. Ambazonians need to read it for their education, which ever route they choose thereafter. Ambazonia exists and an internationally recognisable geographical area and qualifies as a state. Acknowledgement of the effort of others in compiling this work goes without saying … It is not claimed as the work of this poster!

Francis Ngwa put the questions to Chief Barrister Taku Charles, Read on from archives:
Q What are the legal basis for the complaints of English-speaking people in Cameroon? Do they need a federal state or an independent country to resolve the problem?
A: In answer to your question, permit me to correct one misconception implicit in it. There is no such thing as “English speaking people in Cameroon”. I presume your question is directed at the legal basis for the restoration of the Sovereignty of the Southern Cameroons- Ambazonia over her territory.
With that caveat, permit me to state clearly that it is not contested that Southern Cameroons is a state recognized as such in International Law. The Southern Cameroons fulfilled the legal criteria of Statehood spelt out in the 1932 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States.
Article 1 of the said Convention states:
“The State as a person of International Law should possess the following qualifications:
a) a permanent population.
b) A defined territory.
c) Government.
d) Capacity to enter into relations with other states.

That the Southern Cameroons possessed these qualifications is no longer subject of reasonable controversy, regard had to be made to the fact that the UN through its Resolutions affirmed her exercise of the right of self-determination through a well-conceived procedure with full UN participation, that was to commence with a UN organized Plebiscite and ending with an Internationally recognized union treaty with La Republique du Cameroun.
That process, we all know, was aborted and so no treaty worthy of recognition and enforcement pursuant to articles 102 and 103 of the UN Charter exists between Southern Cameroons and La Republique Du Cameroon.
It is therefore futile for anyone to invoke alleged historical or political arguments to justify the existence of any union between the two, without first ascertaining whether the UN-laid down basis for the existence of a legally binding treaty was executed or faithfully implemented pursuant to the Charter responsibilities of the all the parties involved.
In conflating the notions of Sovereignty and that of Statehood to justify its annexation of the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia, La Republique Du Cameroun is oblivious of the fact that Southern Cameroons as a Legal Order, prior to the annexation of her territory, had her own executive and legislative organs, conducted foreign relations through her own organs, had her own system of courts and legal system, had her own nationality laws, and above all had her own constitution.
Her loss of the decision making over these matters due to the overbearing foreign control through military, economic and political blackmail and downright colonial criminality do not affect her statehood status in International Law. Similarly, Iraqi exercise of sovereignty over Kuwait, American exercise of sovereignty over Iraq, Allied exercise of sovereignty over Germany after the Second World War or Soviet exercise of Sovereignty over the Soviet Republics did not ipso jure lead to a loss of the statehood of the occupied states in International Law.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights only recently reaffirmed that Southern Cameroons constitute a people recognized as such under the Charter. That can only be construed within the context of the distinctive statehood of Southern Cameroons since the constitutive tribes of La Republique do not have any of the qualifying attributes of a state defined in the Montevideo Convention.
There can be no gainsaying the fact that had La Republique du Cameroun as an occupying force not invoked the status of Southern Cameroons in International Law as well as the treaties that defined her International Boundaries, and all other acts that accord with the Montevideo Convention, the case she initiated against Nigeria would have been dismissed as a matter of law and fact.
To this extent, the exercise of sovereignty over that case, culminating in the Greentree agreement in which both Nigeria and La Republique undertook to withdraw their forces to their respective boundaries at Independence as the leadership of Ambazonia has correctly argued, is but a logical conclusion of an exercise of sovereignty which an occupying power merely undertook for the benefit of the State of Southern Cameroons- Ambazonia as their pleading and evidence tendered at trial reasonably suggests. In this regard, there is no other reasonable conclusion or inference to draw from the totality of the proceedings and its outcome. To that end, therefore, the continuous occupation of the territory of the Southern Cameroons by La Republique Du Cameroun is manifestly illegal, untenable and unacceptable.
Coming to the next arm of your question whether Southern Cameroons need a federation or independence to resolve the problem, I will defer in part to the preceding answer. I wish however to emphasize that the Southern Cameroons overwhelmingly voted for independence in a UN supervised plebiscite in 1961 and was required thereafter to exercise her right of self-determination by negotiating and defining with UN and British Government’s participation of a union treaty with La Republique du Cameroun.
Note must be taken of the fact that the British Government’s participation was in respect of her UN Charter obligation and not in any other capacity. To the extent that the said Charter responsibility was never affected and has never occurred, there is no union between La Republique Du Cameroun and Southern Cameroons.
Assuming for the purpose of argument only, one were to say that Southern Cameroons was never independent as the spokesman of La Republique Isa Tchiroma stated lately, that conflation of the notion of independence and Statehood would reasonably be construed as ignorance of the state of international law on the subject.
Ian Bronwlie and Jose’ E. Alvarez, Leading authorities on International Law have stated that it is inappropriate to confuse independence as an aspect of statehood, because several factors may explain a loss of independence and / or sovereignty which may not necessarily lead to a loss of statehood. Brownlie emphasizes that “a common source of confusion lies in the fact that “sovereignty may be used to describe the condition where a state has not exercised its own privileges, and immunities in respect of other states. In this sense, a state which has consented to another state managing its foreign relations, or which has granted extensive extra-territorial rights to another state, is not “sovereign”. If this or similar content is given to “sovereignty”, and the same ideogram is used as a criterion of statehood, then the incidents of statehood and legal personality are once again confused with their existence”.
For the above reason, it is submitted that neither the statehood nor the independence of the Southern Cameroons are in question. What is at stake is the exercise of sovereignty that both confer on the State of Southern Cameroons. It is this stolen sovereignty that we are on course to recovering. That in essence is what we call the Southern Cameroons problem.
With the suggestion that a federation may solve the problem, I may venture to state that the suggestion has been overtaken by events. These are evident in the acts and conduct of La Republique Du Cameroun that rendered the fulfillment of UN Charter responsibility on the Southern Cameroons problem impossible.
First, the UN Resolutions required that the exercise of the rights of self-determination of the people of Southern Cameroons be inviolable and sacrosanct. Neither Foncha nor Ahidjo nor any other person however so called could alienate those rights upon himself.
In addition to the none fulfillment of the UN Charter responsibilities by the UN and Great Britain as stated above, all acts undertaken by these individuals or who so ever at Foumban where a purported Federal Constitution was allegedly conceived adopted and promulgated by Ahidjo without the sanction of the Southerns Cameroons through her House of Assembly or by referendum was null and void ab initio and without an legal effect whatsoever.
Even if the Federal Constitution that came out of that process was legitimate, the subsequent violation of article 47 of the said constitution that rendered any amendment that impaired the federal character of the Republic null and void rendered the alleged union the constitution purported to create void ab initio.
Besides, that constitution was not and could not be the union treaty contemplated by the UN Resolutions on Southern Cameroons because in promulgating the said Constitution into law, Ahmadou Ahidjo did not draw inspiration from the UN Resolution on Southern Cameroons, or the Plebiscite of 11 February 1961. He simply did so through an amendment of and adaptation to the Constitution of a “reunified La Republique Du Cameroun” of 4 March 1960 through Law No. 61-24 of 1 September 1961.
It is therefore in error for anyone to hold that that amendment of the Constitution of La Republique Du Cameroun by Law No. 61-24 of 1 September 1961 even before the Independence of the Southern Cameroons on 1 October 1961 created a valid and subsisting union contemplated by the UN for the purpose of its charter obligations. That law was rather the very basis of annexation and colonization of the Southern Cameroons which all peace-loving people of the world must condemn vehemently.
It was therefore in perpetuation of this illegality that La Republique Du Cameroun in 1972 organized a purported referendum to create a unitary state, in violation of article 47 of its own amended constitution, a so-called Federal Constitution.
These illegalities and criminal annexation and colonization have invariably been denounced by Prominent Southern Cameroonians led by HRM Fon Gorgi Dinka, Professor Carlson Anyangwe, Albert Womah Mukong and a plethora of others listed by an eminent Camerounian Scholar Pierre Fabien Nkot in his seminal book “Usage Politiques du Droit En Afrique: Le Cas Du Cameroun”.pg35-40.
In recognition of the illegalities denounced vehemently and persistently by many led by Fon Dinka in particular for and on behalf of the severely repressed revolting masses of the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia and cognizant of the gravity of the consequences of the crimes of annexation and colonization, the President of La Republique Du Cameroun, Paul Biya, in 1984, enacted a law reverting the Republique du Cameroun to its legal personality at Independence, and with it, its internationally recognized boundaries, its state symbols and re-emphasized this fact as Dinka has rightly stated in the Greentree agreement with Nigeria.
La Republique Du Cameroun was offered an opportunity to get into a valid, Federation with the Southern Cameroons at the AAC1, reiterated at the AACII and she declined. In so declining, she exercised an act of sovereignty which Southern Cameroons was mandated in law to respect and did respect. La Republique is similarly obligated to respect International Law and her UN Charter obligations by vacating the territory of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia forthwith.
According to Pierre Fabien Nkot, (pg 40) Paul Biya has boasted that he was ready to organize a referendum to show the world that only a minority of Southern Cameroons was agitating to regain her sovereignty. The African Commission ordered that dialogue should be held under its auspices to resolve the Southern Cameroons problem. I encourage President Biya to bring this suggestion to the negotiating table which if accepted could be an alternative to violence and needless loss of life and limb.
For me, and a majority of Southern Cameroonians, anything other than a regain of sovereignty in conformity with international law is simply unacceptable. The contrary will give tacit blessings to impunity and crimes against the peace for which the UN and the civilized world are firmly opposed.

AMBAZONIA_MUST_BE_FREE K.A 💙

Indicate your view in the vote.

The IG calls for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Comrade Abdul Karim Ali

AKA

The IG has issued a statement calling on international partners and stakeholders for peace to bring their influence to bear on La Republique du Cameroun to release the recently abducted Ambazonia scholar Abdul Karim Ali.

Having contacted the victim’s family, the IG is able to ascertain that Comrade Abdul Karim Ali is in good spirits and has been visited both by family of counsel.

Here is the IG’s communique.

Ambazonia A Okay!

Ambazonian Flag

Ambazonia progress and power.

“Hail! Hail! Hail this land of glory!”

Six years ago Ambazonia was a fringe idea and a word used by a small collection of people. There was a debate even among those people whether it was better to stick to “Southern Cameroons” or “Former British Southern Cameroons” or use the “less familiar” “Ambazonia”. Today we are no longer debating the name. We know our legal righteousness. We know our moral righteousness. We have reclaimed our dignity.

“We, the Ambazonians, pledge our loyalty!”

In this write up I will attempt to get us to take a positive stock of the progress and power of Ambazonia bearing in mind how much psychological attack we the Ambazonians are withstanding. That we do not even know we are under such attack, makes it even more remarkable that we are withstanding it. The truth is Ambazonia is doing the job for us. Ambazonia is protecting us as a nation should protect its citizens. All around the globe we are holding our heads high and savouring the dignity that once eluded us when we would hear the phrase “but I thought Cameroun is a francophone country”!

This week when that assertion was made at the Commonwealth games in Birmingham #Birmingham2022 it was true and valid! As the presenters announced LRC athletes in the opening ceremony, they announced that Cameroun is “an odd example of a francophone country which is in the Commonwealth.” All I can say to any LRC functionary who provided this gem to the BBC is “Thank You!”. How long have we been trying to establish our separateness from LRC. We look forward to our participation if we deem it in our interest to apply to join!

“Allegiance to our heroes who bore the land with their blood”

Our fora are flooded with clumsy suggestive write-ups to make us question our commitment and accuse each other. We pick them up and spread them further with our own magnifications and single-person witness statements, some of them third-hand quotes. And yet Ambazonia has only gotten stronger. LRC functionaries and lackeys now accept and use the name with the correct spelling – which is more than can be said for their use of the names of their “head of government” at the start of “his government”! Renowned diplomates are using the name routinely, as in without supplementary explanations or Southern Cameroons in brackets. As per the foregoing regarding #Birmingham2022, internationally renowned and authoritative media house of the calibre of the BBC acknowledge our separateness from LRC! They no longer mention us as an appendage to French Cameroun!

Ambazonians continue to express their choice weekly in quiet dignified observation of meditative “country Sunday”. LRC has tried to inflict all sorts of pain, offer inducements and bribes, threatened livelihoods, threatened and applied violence and non of these have dissuaded the masses. If anything these LRC efforts have validated the righteousness of Ambazonia. Ambazonians have come to value and treasured their sacrifice for their nation and the dignity that the nation is giving them.

“You shall live in plenty, meeting our needs!”

Enter the psycholgical effort! It used to be called propaganda in olden times and consisted blatant slanted messages with a clear characteristic designed to raise the morale of one side while sapping that of the other. It was easily indentifiable as it could be easily sourced, that is, it did not take much to tell where it had come from. For one thing, propagandists did not bother to disguise who they were, but rather concentrated on the message. These days it is heavily disguised and because of the prevalence of social media and the relative lack of cost it is more aand more shrouded as it propagates. By the time a message has been forwarded five times, it is practically impossible to determine its source or its purpose. But that only makes it more effective as it engages most people in debating and propagating it – each propagation lending more plausibility as it appears to come, implicitly endorsed, by our “contacts”!

“Ambazonia, Land of Freedom!”

Our reminder to deal with this psych ops is to remember the fundamentals.
We are Ambazonians from Ambazonia, a UN recognised territory with international boundaries.
We had no army or leadership when LRC decided to launch a war against us. Ironically in so doing validating our status as a separate nation. LRC helped define our boundaries by targeting us for the internet blackout. They validate and define our borders by giving us the nickname NOSO and subjecting our citizens to the treatments they do… including the special treatment as the only place in the world where soldiers fire live rounds into school-run traffic or burn down villages with pregnant women and children – and repeat the dose!
The people of Ambazonia now accept they are Ambazonian and express that weekly.
The people of Ambazonia are decolonising their minds in small but significant steps. Even when they study under LRC they know they are just keeping up with the international knowledge competition. Increasingly Ambazonia is running community schools, which are the genesis of our next step in decolonization.
We have many who are putting their lives on the line to defend Ambazonia for zero pay! How much more does anyone need to “prove” the persistence and resilience of a state! Ambazonia gives her citizens dignity and her citizens like that dignity and love their nation.

“And your children shall be like the stars above”

Collaboration! Ambazonians who know they are Ambazonian should collaborate with Ambazonia! Build the bridges that will speed up our liberation.
Some of us, including even those who know this psych ops is going on, are occasionally down-hearted.

The solution is to have a look at the Anthem and the Flag each morning…

AND REMEMBER MOST OF THE NEGATIVE FORWARDS EVEN FROM YOUR CONTACTS ORIGINATE FROM LRC’s AGENTS. DELETE THEM! THEY DO NOT AFFECT OUR RESTORATION.

“The Most High God is the Watchman of our Nation”

Ambazonia! You are A-Okay!

Collaboration on Ambazonia Restoration

Ambazonian Flag

Collaboration is a very obvious concept. All Ambazonians would mention collaboration as a way to progress the Restoration more quickly, even if just to decry the lack of it! On this page we attempt to outline the manifestations of collaboration that could be embarked on in a daily routine.

Between RFs

This is where our self-defence groups back and support each other. Even if they are from different groups, they know that they are working for the common goal of restoring the nationhood of Ambazonia. They know that the existence of each of their separate groups means that Ambazonia is more likely to succeed. They have more eyes if they can rely on each other. If LRC militias are traversing our country, our RF should rely on each other to keep them informed so that they are not surprised. If one of our RF groups is attacked, they should rely on nearby RFs of different groups to back them up and mitigate any damage and fallout. This situation would make all the RFs safer together – that is because of the existence of the several RF groups. This sort of collaboration relies heavily on trust that can only be built locally. They must rely on their own instincts and observation on the ground to decide where such collaboration is feasible and possible. The RFs must communicate at least to avoid any misunderstandings that could expose all of them to danger. They must remember that they are the ones putting their lives on the line and must prioritize their own local instincts over any dubious or doubtful or illogical orders from outside. If the RF collaborate this way, those dubious orders will cease as, lets face it, the authors of those dubious schemes who are not on the ground, are not the ones putting their lives on the line. The minimum common area should be to be sure or trust that the separate RFs are definitely working to liberate Ambazonia. Of course like in every sphere of life all such collaboration should be under constant review and because it is not joining, could be adjusted or ceased or intensified as confidence changes. Remember it is your lives you are putting on the line! Money is not everything! You will be rewarded more when our country is free, but you must make sure you keep all RF lives safe as they are the most essential ingredient of the restoration. You need to be able to trust that RFs are RFs. If they are, you have worked out that they are working for the Restoration and that they rely on you just like you rely on them. That means they will inform you if enemy forces are headed in your direction, or information you and request back up when they engage the enemy. All of this depends on a level of confidence that is built slowly based on intelligence – sustained intelligence.

Between RFs and Civilians

The restoration started when all Ambazonians came out in 2017 on that September day. Grand mothers came out, children came out, all areas came out. All areas have constantly observed the Country Sunday all this time ever since. That is because the vast majority of our citizens are committed to the restoration. Our population needs to rely on the RFs as the RFs need to rely on our population. The RFs should be different from LRC militias when our population encounter them. For example our population should not feel they need to hand over money to any RFs like they commonly have to every time they come across LRC roadblocks. Our population needs to feel safe that the RFs are working to protect them in all circumstances. If any citizen is arrested, there must be no question that the solution is that money should be paid. That would be kidnapping for ransom, which is a war crime and is utterly un-Ambazonian. In the war-situation we need our population to back our RFs and this will only come from mutual trust. In fact our RFs and population should aim to get to the state where we are just all the citizens with the same objective of regaining our dignity and freedom in our nation, that is, not even thinking of two sides. RFs know that our citizens will be under pressure and being courted by the enemy with all manner of inducements. As such RFs must work on winning hearts and minds. Our people must be able to see a better future when our nation is restored. They must be able to spot at least one positive difference between the RFs and the enemy forces in those daily encounters. If RF road blocks have been mounted they should be necessary and for a purpose but must not subject our citizens to anything they experience at the hands of the enemy. The aim should be that the RFs cause the withdrawal of the enemy check points as that would be a very swift improvement and positive dividend of the liberation struggle.

These two areas of collaboration on the ground would go a long way to speed up the end of the La Republique du Cameroun occupation of Ambazonia.

The Mistakes

Collaboration is so logical that some think that it is simple and must be done. It is certainly logical but the collaborators need to rely on their assessment of each other to ensure that they are working on the common cause. They should collaborate in different stages. You could share some information first, then when confident enough, have meetings, then resources or operations. Certainly do not expose your bases as a first step unless you have the strong trust to back your instincts. If someone is offended because you are not exposing all your resources and positions, it is OK. They should be carrying out the same due diligence and should understand and be patient if they wish to build confidence. Don’t prioritize hospitality, prioritize security!

Diaspora Collaboration

The diaspora has more time to collaborate and the dangers for them are not as immediate. Obviously their collaboration is important for optimising the resources they have to put in the restoration. Working together would make the resources go a longer way by avoiding anything from duplication at best, to in-fighting at worst. The due diligence for this collaboration should follow the same methods of establishing the common base of their ideas – aiming for the restoration of Ambazonia. The three outcomes of this collaboration would be to encourage the G0 collaborations, gain favourable diplomatic resources and nudge LRC towards a more sensible easier negotiated route out.

The IG document on Building Bridges outlines the protocols for diaspora collaboration but it is also a good basis for all the other aspects discussed above. The gist of that document is summarised:

The IG is OPEN to building bridges of reconciliation, collaboration or unity with any Ambazonian entity (individual, group, movement, association, organization) that meets the following two obligatory prerequisites:

1) Existence of evidences of an OPEN DECLARATION that the Ambazonian entity in question stands for the total and unconstitutional INDEPENDENCE of the Former British Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia.
2) Documented evidences or TRACT RECORD of the Ambazonian entity (individual, group, movement, association, organization) FIGHTING the enemy LRC Diplomatically or/and Legally (Litigation) or/and by Advocacy or/and militarily through the self-Defence actions of their forces in G0.

Addendum

The chaos of audio and counter-audio in the August lockdown and no August lockdown must have been music to Dobekreo’s ears!

Declaring a “no lockdown” is a very difficult logical and psychological message to send.  But it needed to be sent and the whole fallout of the situation could yet have the positive outcome of triggering the sensible collaboration scenarios, some of which are suggested here. Too much time has passed for us to put the spectacle to “lack of experience”. It is clearly an issue of egos and of ignoring the constant and common message from the ground calling for “one voice”. That means collaboration.  No single “leader” should have taken it on themselves to declare a lockdown whether for a day or a month without consulting others. That must be the big lesson. In future if many audios come out for a lockdown they should all have the same message. If they are many it should only be because they are in our different languages rather than because they are from different groups.

What we can attribute the spectacle to is lack of maturity. We do not have mature leaders yet who would see the main objective ahead of any idea that they personally are “the liberators”. Maturity will be when they work out that they should keep in constant communication on their common objectives and try to expand those objectives so as to optimize the effectiveness of their efforts.

The key word is listen. Listen to GZ, The Diaspora is not more important or cleverer! Listen to the RFs, they have a better idea of what is going on and can be more helpful to other RFs than the Diaspora “Strategists”. RF lives have to be treasured and guarded jealously. Any RFs killed and displayed by the enemy is an affront to all RFs first, and then to the dignity of our nation. We need to know all enemy movements on our land and ensure we use them to minimize further losses.

We have less resources than the enemy. We have less experience with manipulation tactics. But we have Right, Resilience and …our Flag.