SCPC – updates; some signatories unaware and not content.

When Ambazonia News reported the plan for the SCPC in Canada from 5th October to 8th October 2023, several aspects were/are unclear and unresolved in our minds. We raised those questions and invited participating members of the SCPC Organising Committee to comment to clarify. We also proposed to issue our own op-ed on each of the questions, the main aim being to provoke the participants to reflect properly and confidently on all aspects of the SCPC.

Ambazonia News can now report that at least two of the signatories of the document about the All Ambazonia Conference 2023 which, presumably evolved to the SCPC, have expressed reservations about the use of their signatures on the SCPC web site. As a minimum, they were unaware, having changed their views about some of the evolution and the parties involved in the SCPC setup. Of paramount importance among the reservations was the realisation that some of the key players in SCPC were opaque, that is not listed as participants, and non-independentists, that is having chosen “neutral” as their posture on the question of Ambazonian Independence from La Republique du Cameroun.

Ambazonia News has mentioned a self-declared “neutral” NGO which is deeply involved. The big question would be whether any Ambazonian entity could reasonably declare itself neutral even to an Ambazonian audience and still be entrusted with aspects of developing a unity of purpose.

As separate statements are expected from the aggrieved parties Ambazonia News is reserving the responses until they can be published unredacted.

We are still open to views and opinions from all the participating entities. All that Ambazonia News would expect is that they declare whether they are independentist and whether they are content for the SCPC to exclude that word from all of its publicity.

Ambazonia has risen and never to fall.

Read the initial questions here

Read analysis on who pays and value economic opportunities of the conference here

Read on the purpose of the conference here

SCPC – What is the common purpose if not independence?

Since Ambazonia News reported the SCPC raised the five initial questions for the groups on the list of participants, two of the signatories of the AAC2023 letter have made it clear they are not in with the current SCPC’s use of that document in the present context. They particularly object and are uneasy about the role of the NGO which is believed to be behind the organisation of the SCPC but seems to keep their name out, and have previously claimed to be neutral, in the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle, at the same time as letting it be said that they are Ambazonian!

In this post Ambazonia News explores the second question which is about the absence of the word “independence” from the SCPC publicity materials on the website. Coincidentally that raises questions about the “neutral” posture mentioned in the last paragraph. In any case Ambazonia News believes the tone and content of the SCPC should belong to the entire organising committee and therefore it is up to them to ensure the publicity material and information all meet their needs.

Common sense would have it that any entities embarking on “creating and demonstrating unity of purpose” in the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle could safely assume that every entity would be for independence. Indeed it would not be an assumption as that was the main established stance in Canada. It, therefore, seems odd that the SCPC is making a concession on Ambazonian aspirations well before La République du Cameroun even enters the scene. Of course it cannot be excluded that this is just an oversight but that would be a big one. Ambazonia News expects that most participating movements or entities would pick up on such details as they tend to build up and before they realise it they have signed up to a watered down project even before La République du Cameroun turns up, if they do!

It goes without saying that what they line up to, be it the publicity of the conference or any resolutions defines their positions for posterity so the organising committee must consider their integrity and ensure that if the conference holds, that it is value for Ambazonia. It would be tragic for any members to cobble together a compromise agenda even before the conference, never mind that the conference itself is several years from any possible negotiations with La République du Cameroun.

Ambazonians need to be confident in the righteousness of their cause and proud to display it openly. The international community does not own our rights and cannot “award” us what we are not confident enough to fund, fight and free our homeland to attain.

The Most High God remains the Watchman of our nation and will guide those taking part with clarity of thought and integrity.

Find Ambazonia News’ introductory comment on the SCPC here

Or Ambazonia News’ look at the opportunity cost of the conference here.

Your comments are welcome.

Ambazonian Liberation: sacred traditions are of the past.

This past week in Big Babanki has been a sobering and timely, full of lessons for the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle. There was a demonstration of how collaboration should be improved on the ground. Then there was a question about the tendency to cling to traditions even when they are patently against the objective, not say actively militating against, the objectives of the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle.

In a previous post Ambazonia News outlines different aspects of collaboration, including a brief reference to how it would work on the ground.

Between ARF groups there should be a protocol for intelligence flow which, as a minimum, provides a day by day map of enemy locations on Ambazonian territory. The ideal should aim to be hourly movement with the aim that no ARF should ever be surprised again. This could work if the ARF forward intelligence in a system of trust where the groups know they can rely on each other and should eventually lead to each group backing up it’s neighbours and ensuring that La République du Cameroun militias are in as hostile an environment as can be provided for them. For this flow to work, the civilian arm of our nation must be protected and supported by the ARF, knowing that they each depend on each other unconditionally and implicitly. This need not be elaborated as Ambazonians must look forward to a more dignified life in our nation.

The second lesson of Big Babanki is that Ambazonia cannot keep being timid on the question of who is Ambazonian. Clearly being born in Ambazonia does not make one an Ambazonian and this applies without any need for explanation to those who don the flag of La République du Cameroun and pose as colonial functionaries on our land. The group that we must resolve with great urgency is those chiefs and Fons who still wield inexplicable power despite demonstrating that they are unworthy of the deference of their sovereign subjects. Our Fons of the past were great warriors who would be out on the battle front leading in battles to defend their subjects. They were not auxiliaries of foreign countries and, most certainly, never invited foreigners onto their ancestral land, much less ever contemplated sanctioning the deaths of any of their subjects. If the Fon of Big Babanki had run from the battle field he would be in less disgrace, not as much as when offering up his people and future generations to secure his 30 pieces of silver as an auxiliary. His ancestors would never welcome him again, nor any living individual who would welcome or acknowledge him on the land where they are buried. Indeed if he abdicated to escape from a battlefield he would be less cursed and would retain some dignity as a subject. He would only be shunned. As it is he will never be mentioned again. This aberration, for it can be nothing else, will only be resolved when a new more worthy Fon is found. To that extent Big Babanki has just become the first Ambazonian village to shed it’s auxiliary La République du Cameroun colonial stooge. The twenty odd victims have not died in vain.

Other auxiliaries must also know that our Fons are servants who are there due to the consent of the people, despite the deference. It is time for them to become more worthy or “their” subjects will become similarly liberated and absolved as the Big Babanki have. As Ambazonia News understands it the Fons have to be the custodians of tradition and custom or they will be answerable to our ancestors. Their “subjects” are not slaves of tradition, which does not, in any case equate to blind adherence to the whims and feeble thoughts of Fons. So tenuous is this trust-tradition that the “traditional authorities” flip from rulers to personae non-grata, as the stooge of Kedjom Keku has realised, within the blink of an eye.

It is time to move beyond the so-called MHS for La République du Cameroun and her enablers.

Auxiliaries of La République du Cameroun cannot be custodians of tradition while they are bought and paid for and would even lift their hand against the people. Is there a better way to spot an enabler?

The Most High God remains the Watchman of our Nation.

The Banjul ruling (2009): learning points

For six decades it appears La République du Cameroun has had one idea and scheme where Southern Cameroons is concerned. For a country plagued by corruption, incompetence and lack of commitment to the extent that “Le Cameroun c’est le Cameroun” has become a proverb it is remarkable how fixed and committed they appear to be on the idea of dominating and colonising Southern Cameroons.

Many episodes have cropped up to remind and dictate “logical adjustments” but every one of them has been batted away even when they could improve the prosperity of La République du Cameroun.

One such episode was the ruling of the African Commission in 2009 in the “Southern Cameroons Vs La République du Cameroun” following Kevin Mgwanga Gumne et al vs. Republic of Cameroon.

The commission went out of its way to make sure La Republique du Cameroun knew that the complainant’s case was sound. They accepted all the accounts of domination, colonisation, marginalisation and discrimination, only citing their [the Commission’s] lack of competence as a reason for not issuing sanctions.

Even so they issued a range of recommendations for La République du Cameroun to implement to solve the established problems.

The African Commission’s [water under the bridge by now] Recommendations to LRC:

Abolish all discriminatory practices against people of Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, including equal usage of the English language in business transactions;
Stop the transfer of accused persons from the Anglophone provinces for trial in the Francophone provinces;
Ensure that every person facing criminal charges be tried under the language he/she understands. In the alternative, the Respondent State must ensure that interpreters are employed in Courts to avoid jeopardising the rights of accused persons;
Locate national projects, equitably throughout the country, including Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, in accordance with economic viability as well as regional balance;
Pay compensation to companies in Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, which suffered as a result of discriminatory treatment by banks;
Enter into constructive dialogue with the Complainants, and in particular, SCNC and SCAPO to resolve the constitutional issues, as well as grievances which could threaten national unity; and
Reform the Higher Judicial Council, by ensuring that it is composed of personalities other than the President of the Republic, the Minister for Justice and other members of the Executive Branch.

It goes without saying that La République du Cameroun not only ignored the recommendations but sought to characterise the ruling as a victory over secession even though the complainants had not intended or expected such an outcome from the case.

As “Le Cameroun c’est le Cameroun” they ignored the “warning signs” of having moved the complainants enough to undertake to bring the case and continued on their ill-fated course to self-destruction.

In a world where trade is easier in English as “Le Cameroun c’est le Cameroun”, they decided that English should be expunged so that a small group of incompetents could continue to go to Europe for health care.

Maybe it has just been incompetence all these decades. They couldn’t have actively made any of these choices, could they? They would need a base of some competence.

Given that “Le Cameroun c’est le Cameroun”, Ambazonia cannot afford to make any decisions that rely on La République du Cameroun’s competent choice, certainly no dependence or reliance on any action in LRC’s sole hands.

Download the complete Banjul ruling from here

All-Ambazonia Activists’ Conference Resolutions

Ambazonian Activists gathered in Belgium, resolved to foster collaboration among Ambazonian Independentists in particular and stakeholders in general, all aimed at achieving a swift attainment of independence for Ambazonia. This was done on April 29th 2023 in Aarschot near Brussels. The previous day the Activists had petitioned international partners such as the EU on behalf of Ambazonia.

In an apt demonstration they showed, using a sketch, how communication could help progress the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle and wrest the information war from the grasp of the enemy.

They scored high immediately on the objective of fostering collaboration by not only attracting the attendance of several movements but getting them to share face to face contact, table, food and drink and a dance.

The Ambazonian Liberation is God-ordained.

Read the resolutions here:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

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

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.