Celebrate or dread … the advent of Ambazonian collaboration?

The recent buzz, not to say dernier cri is the feverish preparation of various incarnations of an “All Ambazonian Conference” AAC. It would appear that the confusion that would have arisen from calling such a gathering “AAC” had not initially been apparent to the various “convenors”. The subject of convenors is big in itself, but more later, time permitting.

A little before this became really big and the thing, Ambazonia News discussed the concept of the All Ambazonia bit of the conference, raising questions on who the participants should be and why/how it could impact the conference and the larger Liberation struggle.

On the subject of Collaboration, which would clearly accrue from a conference of this sort, Ambazonia News has always advocated and once sketched the various combinations of collaboration that could foster and expedite the Liberation struggle. These reminders should be borne in mind when the next few questions and analysis/suggestions are considered. We must bear in mind also that nothing is linear in terms of cause and effect maybe apart, almost uniquely from the idea that if the Liberation Struggle loses momentum then LRC does not need to negotiate no matter how well attended and united an All Ambazonian Conference presents.

Ambazonian News Celebrates Collaboration … but

At Ambazonia News, having extolled collaboration, it would be odd to suddenly object. Collaboration will ensure that Ambazonia wins on the ground more quickly regardless of the machinations of international partners. This winning collaboration is in ensuring that all our restoration forces act in a coordinated fashion and back each other up at all times, regardless of what political faction backs them. As per a previous post by Ambazonia News, this collaboration should be through the local autonomy of the forces in realising that their literal survival relies on the support and trust of all their neighbouring restoration forces. They should be able to trust that LRC forces will not cross Ambazonian counties unchallenged to surprise any other Ambazonian county. At the very least there should be no surprises when it comes to the movements and locations of LRC militias in Ambazonia and so no restoration forces should be surprise victims of any LRC ambushes.

At this moment, the movement on organising political conferences needs to have zero influence on the ground collaboration which should always remain on the “life-and-death-trust” level sketched here as in previous posts.
Ambazonia News would celebrate and promote any “AAC” which enhances the ground collaboration thus. The danger Ambazonia News would watch for is the “AAC for negotiation”.

This is where many “leaders” are deliberately posturing to be in the limelight for the sole purpose of being at a negotiating table with LRC. At best, this would be a pipe dream as LRC has formally dismissed any intention to attend any negotiations and cannot be made so to do by any international partners no matter how well-meaning. They may apply some sanctions or organise mentoring sessions with some Ambazonian stakeholders but those have no benefit in terms of progress towards Ambazonian Independence even if the flattery is irresistible! Those international partner mentors will melt into the ether if the momentum of the Liberation Struggle dissipates as LRC hopes.

The only good thing that mentoring and facilitation from international partners could/should be that the beneficiaries are so used to the flattery and so enjoy it that they realise why they are getting it … at least in part. This attention and flattery is due to the resilience and persistence of the ground forces, hence the assurance of this new importance status with the international partners relies on maintaining/improving ground success! That should be the virtuous circle.
The risk is that the international partners create a sandbox for the Ambazonian political leaders where the latter can “safely” indulge in grandiose posturing while neglecting the ground to LRC’s benefit – ultimately leading to a situation where LRC, having already dismissed negotiations does not feel compelled. Ambazonia News posted previously quoting certain leaders declaring that LRC would be dragged to the negotiation table. Our hope at Ambazonia News is that some of those leaders do not see the sandbox they are in as a start of negotiations – LRC has dismissed negotiations AND the international community does not have the Ambazonian interests at heart and nor should they! What is their interest in Ambazonia? What is the mutuality?
And what about the projected and already unfolding chaos in LRC? Wont it benefit Ambazonia? If and only if the there is the level of collaboration between the RF sketched above -and more! BUW have already been calling for other county RF to “draw” some of the LRC fire much along the lines of the collaboration sketched here!

The convenors who are they?

The Convenors should be the main players and beneficiaries of the Conference. They should be the people of Ambazonia exactly like it should have been the people of The Former UN Trust Territory of British Southern Cameroons who voted in 1961, having decided whether independence was or was not for them at the time. Just like then, a litany of mentors does not know better and while they can be mentors they cannot decide the time or timing, the agenda, the attendance or composition of the “All Ambazonian Conference”. The mentors’ mentoring should only be mentoring and no nudges or pressure to promote any timetable or agenda which could act against Ambazonian interests. The people of Ambazonia should. By definition Ambazonians are independentists. Independentists entities should represent the people who have, over the last seven years chosen independence by voluntarily abstaining from LRC activities, abstained from voting in LRC, started their community education to help them break LRC colonialism.

In conclusion collaboration in political circles can only benefit Ambazonian Independence if it leads to more collaboration among RFs on the ground leading to more victories on the ground. This first outcome would be the logical genesis of a strong negotiating position which need not actually rely on LRC’s choice to attend or not attend. In this scenario the AAC – or whatever they turn out to be called – bring together a coalition of independentists, who while ironing out political differences, still prioritise the Liberation struggle outside any sandbox. Over to our “Leaders” now to judge for themselves whether they are in a sandbox and what they will achieve from a “conference”.

The Most High God remains the Watchman of Ambazonia despite our mistakes. Let us choose the right collaboration. Ground Zero is not a sandbox

IG Response Global Affairs Canada.

The IG has reiterated her engagement in the Canadian Mediation process outlined in the Global Affairs Canada announcement.

In a letter to the Hon Melanie Joly, the Minister in charge of GAC, the IG points out the outstanding conditions needed for Canada to meet the threshold for a fair and transparent mediation process. It is worth recalling that the IG had addressed a similar caution to the GAC officials during the pre-talks when when some of the practices left the pre-talks open to opaque participants and truncated preparation time for some of the Ambazonian stakeholders.

In the new correspondence, the IG flags the phraseology of “NW and SW regions of Cameroon” and perception created that the mediation, though clearly external, could be mistaken for internal.

Read the full letter here.

Alternatively find it and other IG documents on the government website at https://federalrepublicofambazoniagov.org/newsroom/response-to-gac-statement-on-peace-in-cameroon/

Canadian mediation: confusion reigns and pitfalls remain

Since Canada announced the agreement to talk for “peace in the NW and SW regions of Cameroon” reactions have emerged from many quarters.

Many Ambazonian stakeholders have voiced objections to the phraseology of Canada’s announcement, though other Canadian communications do speak of “talks between The former United Nations Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons and The Republic of Cameroon”. This latter comes, notably in tweets from the Canadian Diplomatic Mission in Cameroun.

A cross section of Ambazonian comments insist that the language in the Canadian communique is “diplomatic” and is the “best Amabzonia” will get until she regains her sovereignty. No explanation of how that sovereignty will be gained if the talks are framed as talks to settle a crisis in “the NW and SW regions of Cameroon”. This must be a faith that the kind international community, despite turning a blind eye to more intense and overt genocidal acts in Ambazonia for six years, is going to go in to bat for Ambazonian independence! Why? What is the new motivation? What of the La Republique du Cameroun Secession in 1984 which reset the boundaries to LRC (1960) and United Nations Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons – and does afford Ambazonia “state-status bar the exercise”? HCB28-92 outlines how this came about and was enshrined in the Bamenda High Court Ruling!

For their part La Republique du Cameroun has issued a statement through their Communication Minister, Sadi, denying any agreement to confer neither “facilitator nor mediator status to any country”. In the communique he references the internal National Dialogue of La Republique du Cameroun as the start of a solution … “which they have been busily implementing”. The language of Canada’s Communique does matter, but this outing from Sadi underlines the paradox of “NW and SW regions of Cameroon”, at first sight alluding to an internal self-determination; with a third-party mediator. At the very least, Ambazonian stakeholders need to regroup and avoid speeding into what would appear as half-a-loaf, but could be poisoned! In any case it was always going to be beneficial for the Ambazonian side to consolidate their position internally before embarking on any talks. This is particularly urgent as, while “officially” rubbishing the prospect of talks in Sadi’s communique, La Republique has wasted no time marshalling their propaganda effort to attempt to kill the momentum of the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle. Many “News papers” have “welcomed” the “agreement to talk” and already attributed calls to some of the Ambazonian stakeholders for the Restoration Forces to cease! The sooner Ambazonian Leaders wake up to this ploy, the better! Even if they don’t manage to come to an agree position, they must maintain the pressure on the ground.

Ambazonian Leaders need to keep channels open to avoid the confusion that La Republique will continue to seek to create and exploit. As it is it is clear that La Republique factions have different goals and ambitions and even at their most stable, they have proven time and again that their word cannot be relied on. The international community will be happy to say “never again” again after the fact – not because they are picking on Ambazonia, but because that is their method! We must “shine out eyes” and maintain our efforts.

Any Ambzonian leader thrusting their head out to be patted by the kind international community does so at their own peril if they do not first have their backs covered by “the Ambazonian Position”.

The Most High God has watched over us so many times. Let us not falter!

We the Ambazonians

Canada announce “agreement to talk” but doubts persist.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Canadian government’s foreign affairs department, has announced an agreement between La Republique du Cameroun and a section of representatives of Southern Cameroon/Ambazonia. So far so good, except the press officer who published the news on GAC’s web page referred to “peace in Cameroon” and the ” NW and SW regions of Cameroon”

The participating Ambazonian stakeholders who were cited in the release “immediately” issued a statement expressing discontent at the phraseology. They objected to being referred to as regions of Cameroon. What they failed to tackle was the equally corrosive idea of listing several Ambazonian stakeholders in a blatant attempt to portray a semblance of inclusiveness. These points are not trivial as they make the difference between internal or external self-determination for Ambazonia. Ambazonia News understands from sources at the first pretalks that the Ambazonian stakeholders tackled – and agreed the issue of two state parties. This is bourne out by the language coming from the Canadian High Commission, that is Embassy, in Cameroun. They have tweeted about “an agreement for talks between The former United Nations Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons” in conformity with the statements of the pretalks delegates.

That gaf is far from the “facilitator’s” only faux pas. During the pretalks the facilitators failed to address questions from some participants, viz the IG that Ambazonia News knows of, pertaining to undefined yet prominent actors in the process. They then proceeded to exclude some of the previous delegates without explanation despite fair written depositions on concerns about transparency and representativeness. So GAC persisted in breaking both requirements to qualify as neutral impartial facilitators. Speeding up the “process” to meet La Republique du Cameroun’s timetable on at least one occasion, and accepting under-represented small group meetings as “valid” representation further point to shortcomings on the part of GAC… deliberate or just incompetence?

The final paragraph of the GAC communique therefore rings hollow as it expresses the “hope that many more groups would join the process to attain a lasting peace”.

The IG has responded to the communiqué by addressing a further letter to the head of GAC Hon. M Joly, in which they repeat the caution against the opacity and the non-representativeness of the process so far. The IG contends that justice cannot be attained with such flaws in the process and, therefore, nor can peace.

Over to GAC now to rectify the process if they are neutral facilitators/would-be-moderators.

For their part the Ambazonian stakeholders who have issued that statement including a “hope” that others will join must reflect on their part in rushing the previous few pretalks process to an extent to exclude some participants and square that with how hollow their “hope” rings!

The Most High God is the Watchman of Ambazonia. Our mistakes will not prove too costly!

President to caution against repeating mistakes in end-of-year address.

IG President Iya Marianta is set to address Ambazonians on the eve of the new year 2023.

After an eventful tenure characterized by “actions speaking louder than words” she may want to remind the people to stay resolute as the job is not yet done.

With the ongoing speculation about Canada pre-pre-talks Ambazonia News understands from sources that she could seek to clarify the IG’s position. She has consistently been of the view that Ambazonian Independence is unconditional and not up for negotiation.

She may also wish to highlight some of the outreaches the IG has carried out with the aim of empowering our civilians in both the refugee camps and the ground. One of the keys to Ambazonian future prosperity lies in the freedom of choice that education and self-sufficiency can engender. The resulting dignity and confidence will help Ambazonia to shed our choking victim mantle and strike out on a bright exciting future.

Ghost towns: effective exercise of our dignity.

For over six years We the Ambazonia have marked our dignity with the simple act of abstention on Mondays. By this act, we have silently declared our independence from La Republique du Cameroun and her agents – sparing ourselves the gauntlet of extortion and intimidation by La Republique du Cameroun’s militias.

The effect of this routine act has started to open the eyes not only of LRC, but more of our people to become more aware of our history and rights.

Who should declare a pause to Contri Sundays?

We the Ambazonians have ignored all LRC ploys which surface every December preaching the merits of “normalcy”.

We the Ambazonians have ignored the hypocritical “peace” being preached while their militias still occupy our streets and fire on school children.

We the Ambazonians who live the experience of the La Republique du Cameroun occupation will see for ourselves when we are free of that occupation. We will decide and that will not be because any one sends us leaflets! When we are free we will not need leaflets to tell us!

We all remain resolute on our aim – the total and unconditional independence of Ambazonia.

Our independence and dignity are not in the gift of our neighbours LRC.

HCB28-92: A must read for every Ambazonian

The Case of Ambazonia Vs Cameroun

On May 18th 1992 the High Court of Bamenda the North West Province heard a curious case, that of the state of the Southern Cameroons alias Republic of Ambazonia, its Head of State His Excellency Fongum Gorji Dinka and The State of La Republique du Cameroun and its Head of State His Excellency Paul Biya.

The motion to show cause and the subsequent orders sought were not contested by La Republique of Cameroun and against all predictions the court handed down judgement in suit No HCB/28/92 in favour of the Republic of Ambazonia.

The High Court of Mezam holden at Bamenda BETWEEN:

Plaintiffs

1. The State of Southern Cameroons, alias the Republic of Ambazonia.

2. His Royal Excellency Fongum Gorji-Dinka

3. Blaise Berinyuy AND

Defendants

1. The State of La Republique du Cameroun

2. His Excellency Paul Biya.

Very Brief summary:

On 1/1/60 the French Trust territory gained independence, for the sake of argument, and became La Republique du Cameroun with established and internationally recognized borders.

Until the British Trust Territories of Southern and Northern Cameroons gained their independence in October 1961, negotiations between leaders of those territories and the UN, GB, LRC produced various undertakings and promises which lead to the mistaken plebiscite where voters chose “Reunification” in Southern Cameroons and “Integration” in Northern Cameroons. Analysis shows that Southern Cameroonians voted for “reunification” in the mistaken belief they were joining a loose federation – certainly not a unitary state. Northern Cameroonians choice of “integration” meant throwing in their lot with the Nigerian Federation.

As Southern Cameroons [mis]understood they were joining a loose federation of equal independent states, their border was similarly established to the prior borders of LRC nearly two years earlier. The implicit establishment of these borders was not by design but just by the norms, and would not matter for a long time while Southern Cameroons, known then as West Cameroon to LRC’s East Cameroon remained in the Federation or union.

It is fair to say the federation turned out not be loose, as Southern Cameroonians had intended when voting in the plebiscite, but was taken further towards a unitary state than they would have accepted. There was dissention to the advent of the unitary state but …

When Mr Biya took over, contrary to the provisions of the United Republic’s “constitution” the union was still in place and still as illegal and there were individual dissenters who had no platform to voice their dissent. The more vocal dissenters ended up in prison and that could have been that until …

Mr Biya sought to deepen the unitary state by removing the paradox of the word “united”. Well a “united” Republic is “united” by virtue of being united, not by being called “united”, so he decided to outdo his predecessor in the “progress” towards “reunification” by renaming the URC to just La Republique du Cameroun by promulgating law 84/001 of 4/2/84. It could be debated whether being called “united” is more of a paradox than decreeing implied unity.

Whether intentionally or otherwise the effect of this act was to restore La Republique of 1960, complete with its borders at independence, which had transitioned through being called East Cameroon in the federation of equal states to subsuming itself in the United Republic of Cameroon. This was a secession by any other name and the effect of it was that Southern Cameroons had been similarly restored – and not being the secessionist either!

The implication of the restoration law was that La Republique du Cameroun’s presence in Southern Cameroons was illegal.

Read the whole document here from a Le Messager Scan or a clearer retyped text.

First copies of Ambazonian Curriculum reach GZ

The long-awaited Ambazonian Curriculum has been delivered to the first few Community schools.

The exercise marks a decisive turning point in the Collaboration needed to actualize the decolonization of Ambazonia and proceed to freedom and dignity for the next generation of Ambazonians.

Henceforth qualification gained in Ambazonia will be valuable and capable of opening doors for our children. Ambazonian parents can be assured that their children’s qualifications will be internationally recognized and accepted. They will no longer have to embark on “English-Language” foundations courses before they gain access to higher education foreign lands.

We the Ambazonians will do for ourselves together.

Ambazonia News invites all our well-wishers who wish to improve the future of our children, many of whom are in refugee camps to visit www.unmak-arf.org make a donation for our humanitarian efforts to raise their spirits and remind them that they are not alone. They could receive a reading book and the impulse to start their liberation by reading.

Federalists still wrong!

To talk about federalists is to validate them when they have no existence in logic! However, due to the “Canada Process” also known as “Pre-Pre-talks” there is once more an illusory platform for “federalist” proponents. The paradox of the federalists persists against all odds even though La Republique du Cameroun has deployed intimidation tactics in the form of “convocations” to quash all usage of the term – and that was mainly against the “federalists” themselves – not even against Ambazonians. No! Ambazonians had a worse fate reserved for them – summary extrajudicial executions, callously trumpeted as “neutralisation” in their propaganda. They have even been known to issue official communiques – for La Republique du Cameroun loves a communique – outlining how they “neutralised” several unarmed youths suspected of being separatists. Suspicion seems enough to seal a youth’s fate in Ambazonia! That was earlier.

These days, after our whole scale resistance and demonstrated resilience, they are resorting to all forms of time-wasting, with the forlorn hope that our resolve would wane. Our resolve is not waning! Our people have endured deliberate psychological attacks in the form of disinformation and manipulation. Some have hesitated for a while but they are all still basically convinced of the righteousness of our cause and the complete “does-not-go-ness” of any idea that “One Cameroun” might ever again include Ambazonia! Not even in a de facto union! Especially not in a de facto union! Not in any union! It is One Solution – Independence for Ambazonia!

One Ambazonian sage once predicted that when La Republique Cameroun woke up and tried to negotiate for federation with Ambazonia that it would be too late. It has been too late for 5 years! Having our streets blocked by militias so foreign that they could “mistakenly” fire live rounds into school traffic tells even the deafest non-listener and shows even the blindest non-looker that Ambazonia into La Republique du Cameroun does not go! That is why no intimidation can turn our citizens! We have to be thankful to La Republique du Cameroun for proving to our people over these last six years that La Republique du Cameroun behind their thugs is a hollow vacuum of nothingness and that their main power over Ambazonia was solely Ambazonians willingness to put up and continue to hope for “better” eventually. Eventually has been and gone and LRC has proved that only worse is to come if we the Ambazonians persist in that willingness to give one more chance! More than that, they have proved that Ambazonians can take their destiny and dignity in their own hands.

So why are there still people who dare show their faces and talk about federalism? It is down to Ambazonian liberalism! We like a debate like no other people! That comes from the days when our competing parties in the fifties and early sixties used to travel together to election rallies and debate and make their separate speeches and then go back together sometimes sharing a drink. Nevertheless, the federalists are mistaken…

They [federalists] are hanging in mid-air because La Republique Cameroon is not debating federalism and unlikely to be anytime soon. In this situation the federalist trying to offer “nothing” to a people who have been living through the “proof” that any association with La Republique is fatal and who have seen La Republique du Cameroun’s arguments against federalism! In Ambazonia News’ view this is the most pointless “argument” since the Athenians first described democracy!

La Republique du Cameroun is a paradox in burning villages, killing school children, “neutralising suspected separatists” and propagating “one Cameroun” given that their dictator decreed a secession of La Republique du Cameroun from the still-tenuous United Republic of Cameroon. Everyone knows that! They know it! They have it on record in their courts that that decree was Ambazonian Restoration. In 2017 La Republique briefly considered rowing back by trying to phase in the “United Republic of Cameroon” name. It is likely their mentors counselled against that and instead mistakenly promoted the idea that even their corrupt system was capable of defeating grand-mothers with peace plants! What ever the reasoning, they decided they could win! One possible reason is that they knew that even the “United Republic” was not a union – except by being a de facto union – and could not be sustained in any negotiation or court.

When a “nation” decides to resort to “war” or force, they are suspending “international law” righteousness even if they had any. So the federalists debating nice academic points about Ambazonia’s legal ground are wide off the mark! When La Republique du Cameroun is defeated and finally have to leave, no international partners are going to weigh up the spurious legal arguments that were so cleverly outlined by the fence-sitters! That also means that we the Ambazonians know that we have to win on the ground – and on that point we have to be thankful to the federalists legalists.

The nice international community knows it but persists in waiting with patience for La Republique du Cameroun to kill enough of us so that they can express outrage with “never-again” before resuming their cosy dealings with La Republique du Cameroun. That is just the way of things so Ambazonians need to beware and continue the fight. That goes without saying as La Republique continues forays into our country!

The time is coming when it will have to be decided. Being born Ambazonian does not compel anyone to be Ambazonian – nor to have our precious and rare citizenship foisted on them! People who consider themselves citizens of La Republique should not be waiting on the fence for our citizens to be killed so that they can negotiate a better La Republique status for themselves. We just eventually have to accept that such a dichotomy exists.

The opacity of the Canada Pre-Pre talks would appear to be conveying the feeling that “Ambazonians” alone are the ones wrestling with the shadow non-argument of federation. What is La Republique looking for apart from the usual playing for time? What is the international community’s stake in this? A stable democratic, accountable, successful and prosperous Ambazonia is a better security ally in the Gulf of Guinea. We insist on our dignity. In this setup Ambazonia is certainly not the supplicant! The conflict is so “one-solution” that it hardly bears the bother of speculating on what they are “negotiating”. While waiting we must all be aware that the one solution depends on our actualising our independence with no regard for what French Cameroun decide to do.

We the Ambazonians

What happened in Canada? IG to brief in next APP Constituent Assembly

Pixels have aligned. Ink has flowed and so has saliva. But what is going on with the so-called Canada “?”

The IG is holding the next Constituents Assembly of the APP on Saturday 22/10/2022 with a promise to “brief” on “Canada”. It should be noted that one of the IG’s slogans is “Total and Unconditional Independence for Ambazonia” so Ambazonia News will be keen to relay the briefing come the conclusion of the Constituents Assembly.

Other expected topics might be the state of the Election Modalities which were ordered in previous resolutions of the CA APP.