In order to prevent the outbreak of an armed uprising, Cameroon's president must go beyond superficial measures by urgently implementing key reforms and pursuing inclusive, high-level dialogue mediated by the UN or African Union. The lesson I take from this is that domestic grievances, when allowed to fester, can ultimately convulse into broader conflicts and brother crises and armed conflicts, which could have devastating consequences on a transnational basis, said Christopher Fomunyoh of the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute. Reports of indiscriminate killings, torture, rape and other gender-based violence by both sides have been widely reported. The Cameroonian government is seeking to implement a 1996 law it refused to enact for over two decades. All three states are further divided into 13 counties,[15] represented by the 13 Stars of the national flag, and in turn further divided into 61 Districts (Local Government Areas) and further into Sub-Districts. [33], Flag of Ndian County. In 1858, British missionary Alfred Saker founded a settlement for freed slaves at the bay which was later renamed Victoria. Blue stands for Perseverance and liberty. Orange stands for Courage and sacrifice. The name Ambazonia comes from the Ambas Bay. Other major cities in the subregion include Mogadishu in Somalia, and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. [41] The violence led to additional demonstrations, general strikes (called "lockdowns"), and further crackdowns by the government into early 2017, including the banning of civil society organizations, cutting off phone and internet connections from January to April,[42] and arrests of demonstrators. Others have alleged that some militias have engaged in ransom attacks against civilians to fund their continued activities. Delivered Thursday. During this period various independence and federalist factions joined to form the Southern Cameroons National Council, a pressure group which undertook initiatives at the UN, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Commonwealth, and with national embassies to bring attention to the region and Anglophone issues in Cameroon. So this is very big for our cause, in our fight against these Fulani, particularly those who are coming in from Nigeria.. And what happens if the United States and China continue down a path of decoupling? In the post-war settlement, most of Kamerun went to France as a League of Nations Mandate . Biafrans and Anglophone Cameroonians share a common enemy: Fulani herders, a nomadic ethnic group present across West and Central Africa. [27] Along with the new constitution, the country's name was changed from 'Federal Republic of Cameroon' to the 'United Republic of Cameroon'. In early April, Cho Ayaba, the leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council, one of two major Anglophone separatist groups, and the well-known Biafran leader Nnamdi Kanu appeared in a press conference, livestreamed on social media, to announce a strategic and military alliance. The name Ambazonia comes from the Ambas Bay. [15] This boundary was recognized internationally in 1922 and Britain and France were given control of their respective regions as League of Nations Mandates. facebookTracking(); [57], The war has been characterized by guerilla attacks by separatist militias against both security forces and against civilians suspected of collaboration or simply failing to abide militia's declared school and election boycotts or "lockdowns" which prevent all travel and activity. Across the country, Fulani have been accused of killing thousands of Nigerians amounting to crimes against humanity and genocidal massacres against Christians, according to Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch. [47] A massive military deployment accompanied by curfews and forced evacuations of entire villages. Green stands for the Fertility of the Land. From: Africa Direct. [17] The districts are made up of tribal territories run by Chiefs, Fon etc or villages. Cameroons Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks? Symbolism (Yellow stands for Prosperity and Justice. [4] As of 2020, some separatist forces began developing state flags to represent their territory. 10 Feb 2018. This insurgent group has mostly conducted its operations in Borno state, displacing millions of people. Blue stands for vigilance and perseverance. The mountains stand for Mount Kupe and Mount Manenguba and the determination to succeed. The successful joining of the two increasingly violent groups is likely to trigger a heightened response from both Cameroonian and Nigerian armed forces, which already work together to counter a Boko Haram insurgency in the northern regions of both countries. By Fax: 1-240-556-0535. The unrest usually comes with devastating impacts largely responsible for the continent's current economic and social retardation. At 4,040m (13,250ft) it is the highest mountain in Western Africa and the 28th highest in Africa overall. Separatist Movements in Nigeria and Cameroon Are Joining Forces Ambazonia is characterized by two main landscapes. t.async = !0; White stands for Hope and peace. The panelists included Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International; Carmine Di Sibio, CEO of Ernst & Young; Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore; and Lubna S. Olayan, chair of the executive committee of Olayan Financing Company. Star stands for Leadership and prosperity. White stands for Hope, Peace and wisdom under God. [20] Two reports by English economists, the Phillipson Report in 1959 and the Berrill Report in 1960 both concluded that Southern Cameroons would not be able to continue to finance development and growth as an independent state. Growth rate, median age, fertility rate, area, density, population density, urbanization, urban population, share of world population. [6] Ambazonian forces have struggled to form a united front, and internecine conflicts have hampered efforts to negotiate with Cameroon or establish control over the various militia groups engaged in the fighting. fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); German explorer Gustav Nachtigal signed key treaties with several prominent kings. The worlds longest-serving autocrat will be feted this week in Washington. Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost none of the claimed territory.No country has formally recognized Ambazonia's independence, and it is currently the site of an armed conflict between . Ainsi va l'Afrique. t.src = v; In 1958, the Southern Cameroons attained the status of a full autonomous region of the Nigerian Federation and Endeley's official title accordingly changed to Premier. Anglophones also resented the introduction of bilingual schools in West Cameroon as an attempt to assimilate Anglophones. The last few years have brought historic challenges for multinational companies. [4] Over time, the power of the central government, dominated by Francophones, expanded at the expense of the region's autonomy. Required fields are marked *. All the roads in West Cameroon my government had either built, improved or maintained were allowed to deteriorate making Kumba-Mamfe, Mamfe-Bamenda, Bamenda-Wum-Nkambe, Bamenda-Mom inaccessible by road. Several different armed factions have emerged such as the Red Dragons, Tigers, ARA, Seven Kata, ABL, with varying levels of coordination with and loyalty to Ambazonian political leaders. Despite the violence, both governments and the international community have failed to address long-standing grievances. For the past three weeks, an encampment of activists from Ambazonia, the English-speaking territory also known as Southern Cameroon, has been holding vigil outside the Nigerian Embassy in South . Last month, leaders from both movements announced a formal alliance, which could ignite violence and instability in the two countries and across the West and Central African regions where violent extremist organizations affiliated with the Islamic State and al Qaeda are establishing a strong foothold. n.version = '2.0'; [54] Sako resisted, leading to the 2019 Ambazonian leadership crisis. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on Other countries outside of the African continent have been involved in cryptocurrency initiatives. [37] At a second All Anglophone Conference held in Bamenda the call for the Cameroon government to accept a return to the two state federation was reiterated with some voices explicitly calling for secession. Against a backdrop of bomb blasts, sporadic violence and repressive state measures, Cameroon's Anglophone crisis has entered a new and intensified phase. Dispatch: Ambazonia enjoys good relations with members of the West African Union, and other Anglophone African nations. The biggest city in Eastern Africa is Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, which has a population of approximately 6.5 million people. [40] Several demonstrations were violently dispersed by security forces, leading to clashes between demonstrators and police in which several people were killed. Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost none of the claimed territory. Watch the video now! Nigeria has also aided the Cameroonian government in attempts to suppress the Anglophone uprising. Nigeria and Cameroon, both critical international partners in U.S. anti-terrorism campaigns and once beacons of economic stability in the region, may be on track to becoming failed states, which would have a devastating regional and global impact. Armed alliance between IPOB, Ambazonia could destabilise West and Central Africa; Daniel admitted in an interview with Foreign Policy that the alliance could destabilise West and Central Africa, with Nigeria being the largest economy in West Africa, and Cameroon, one of the major countries in Central Africa. The Indian government has tread carefullyand invited trouble. Sheep stands for peace, purity, wisdom and innocence under God.). The Bahamas represents how global capitalism can go very right, and very wrong, at exactly the same time. Olive tree branch stands for Peace and the Hammer stands for Determination of the people). On a hierarchy of national land areas, Ambazonia is perched between Denmark and the Netherlands. [63] The northeastern parts of Northwest Region (including the city of Bamenda) have a tropical savanna climate, with distinct wet and dry seasons. In April 2014, the kidnapping of nearly 200 Chibok girls from their school gained international attention. In 1984, a group of English speaking people, led by renowned lawyer and leader of the Widikum people, Fon Gorji Dinka, unilaterally declared the Republic of Ambazonia. This was in retaliation to the move by French speaking President Paul Biya to unilaterally change the name of the country from United Republic of Cameroon to Republic of Cameroon. Until 1961, the region was a British colony, Southern Cameroons, while the rest of Cameroon was a French colony, French Cameroon. [7] Ongoing violence has led to widely reported human rights abuses by both sides, including indiscriminate killing of civilians, torture, rape and gender-based crimes, and unjustified detentions and kidnappings. The Federal Republic of Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons) is an unrecognised and disputed region located in the armpit of Africa, a crossroad between west and central africa, on the Gulf of Guinea. This African country is the second oldest democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa after Ghana and has access to natural wharfs on her Atlantic shore overlooked by the grandeur of the highest mountain peak in West Africa. 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