In 1962, he arrested and imprisoned a number of prominent (Francophone) political opponents on charges of subversion and criticizing the state. Etymology. [26] In July 1961, the Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroon Republic delegations met in Foumban, a town in French Cameroon near the border with Southern Cameroons. Mountains stands for the Two peaks of mount Fako (Mount Cameroon), determination and leadership. The Biafra movement is well equipped with weaponry and other defense technology from Nigerias large black market. European and Asian leaders began to call the IRA unfair competition and protectionist. Watch the full interview for insights on how industry thinks about deglobalization, the U.S.-China rivalry, the war in Ukraine, and much more. Among the 10 who were convicted was Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the leader of the so-called Governing Council of Ambazonia - the name separatists have given to Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and South . Green stands for the Fertility of the Land. European and Asian leaders began to call the IRA unfair competition and protectionist. Biafrans and Ambazonians are predominantly Christians, while the Fulani are mostly Muslim. It is bordered by Cameroon to the east, Nigeria to the west and Bioko island to the south east on the Gulf of Guinea . The National flag is raised at federal institutions or on federal property. Growth rate, median age, fertility rate, area, density, population density, urbanization, urban population, share of world population. [5] The violence developed into a guerrilla war, and as of 2021[update], clashes continue, with population centers and strategic locations largely controlled by the government engaged in counterinsurgency actions, with swathes of more remote, rural areas controlled by separatist militias and used to launch guerrilla attacks. Golden Star stands for Leadership).[32]. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. In 2016, the Ambazonia movement turned violent when government security forces cracked down on teachers and lawyers protesting the marginalization of Anglophone Cameroonians in a majority Francophone country. It is located between Nigeria to the west and north, and Cameroun to the east; it is wedged between West Africa and the former French Equatorial Africa. The 13 counties are governed by county-ministers; these individuals are chosen by political parties as candidates to govern the area and are voted into office during State elections (which occur every two years, similar to the U.S. n.push = n; Media in category "Ambazonia" The following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. Email: theafricannation@gmail.com, 2022 All Right Reserved by The African Nation. ar, and how can we apply those lessons to make sure we dont sleepwalk into yet another war? The term Ambazonia is more usually associated with the separatist or independence-seeking faction, while the Cameroonian government and other official sources, such as the UN, continue to refer to the "Northwest Region" and "Southwest Region" (or sometimes the "NoSo" regions), the official names of the two administrative provinces since 1972. 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. By. The Biafran and Ambazonian movements have individually grown increasingly violent in recent months and years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At independence, a plebiscite was held, and voters in Southern Cameroons opted to join Cameroon as a constituent state of a federal republic. 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. Military Excesses Its Friday December 14, 2018, and the Mile 17 bus station in Buea, capital of the South West Region, is busy like a beehive. Spokespeople from the self-proclaimed Interim Government of Ambazonia, the other major Anglophone separatist group, and the Customary Government of IPOB have denounced the alliance and proclaimed that the leaders involved are impostors.. A Biafra-Ambazonia weapons exchange will bolster the Anglophone separatist movement. This is going to be a very good opportunity for us, because what we see on the field is there have been some alliances between the Cameroon government and Fulani, Daniel, the Ambazonian deputy military leader, said. [47] A massive military deployment accompanied by curfews and forced evacuations of entire villages. Ambazonia emblem.jpg 529 530; 123 KB. From the east and southeast, it is surrounded by the Indian Ocean . Green stands for the Fertility of the land. . Still, escalating violence in southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon will only add to national and regional security challenges at a time when the region is already struggling with plummeting economies, democratic backsliding, and a resurgence of violent extremism and terrorism. n.loaded = !0; Cameroon's anglophone minority has long complained of discrimination at the hands of the French-speaking majority. For Washington, self-imposed restraint will always be a contradiction in terms. Midterm Elections). t = b.createElement(e); Many inhabitants identify as Anglophones and resent what they perceive as discrimination and efforts to eliminate Anglophone legal, administrative, educational, and cultural institutions by the Cameroonian government. The protests that began as a movement against police brutality have much bigger goalsincluding regime change. Many of the problems from the initial draft have been solved. Green stands for the Land and prosperity. today We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. We have been very careful in our association with the Biafra movement, because we didnt want to destabilize the region, but we have been cornered, he said from his base in Hong Kong. The Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia represents the People of the Former British Southern Cameroons and their aspirations as declared on 1st of October 2017: To restore their Independence, which was voted for, on 11 February 1961 and endorsed by United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 1608 (XV) of 21 April 1961. The Ambazonia Defense Forces see the Biafra-Ambazonia alliance as a critical outlet to end rising Fulani-led attacks. From Nigeria's Biafra to Cameroon's Ambazonian, and Ethiopia's Tigray, the daily heightened tensions show that many African . Black stands for the People and Culture. The Southern Cameroonians whom I brought into the Union have been ridiculed and referred to as "les Biafrians" (Biafrans), "les enemies dans la maison" (enemies within the house), "les traitres' (traitors), etc., and the constitutional provisions which protected this Southern Cameroonian minority have been suppressed, their voices drowned while the rule of the gun has replaced the dialogue which Southern Cameroonians cherish very much. November 20, 2017. [17] In 1953, the Southern Cameroons representatives in the Eastern Nigerian Legislature demanded a separate regional government for the Southern Cameroons with seat in Buea. When Germany lost her African colonies during the First World War (1914-1918), Cameroon ceased to be a German colony in 1916. [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. Just over the border, armed separatist groups are fighting to carve out Cameroons English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions into a breakaway state called Ambazonia. [43] Although the government established a Commission to focus on Anglophone grievances and took steps to address issues of language equity in courts and schools, continued distrust and harsh responses to protests prevented significant deescalation. The claimed territory formerly was known as the British Southern Cameroons (West Cameroon). The people of Northern and Southern Cameroons under the umbrella of the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front (SCACUF) finally decided to affirm the independence of the English . For Saudis like me, nothing could be more disheartening than a divorce from the United States. Blue stands for Liberty and perseverance). Symbolism (Green stand for the Land. Symbolism (Green stands for the Fertility of the land, Growth and prosperity. 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. The scope of the alliance will include joint operations and training bases, Capo Daniel, the deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, the military wing of the Ambazonia Governing Council, told Foreign Policy. Symbolism (Red stands for the strength and blood of the people. So this is very big for our cause, in our fight against these Fulani, particularly those who are coming in from Nigeria.. FPs Winter 2023 print issue brings together 12 experts to help us answer those questions. List of countries in Africa. In Cameroon, Anglophone separatists have stepped up attacks against government security forces, using improvised explosive devices to target military convoys in at least 30 different attacks in 2021, according to reports from the U.N., the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), and a spokesperson from the Cameroonian military. For its part, the Ambazonia movement says it will share lessons in making the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon ungovernable, a tactic that has largely been achieved. In 1993, the All Anglophone Conference took place in Buea bringing together all Southern Cameroons citizens who called for the restoration of the federal system. Major non-ASC groups include the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) and the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (SOCADEF), which both cooperate with the ASC on some level.[61]. Violence in the regions has since displaced over 700,000 people and resulted in at least 4,000 civilian deaths, according to the United Nations and the International Crisis Group. Political exclusion, economic exploitation and cultural assimilation were criticized more and more openly. Ambazonia is characterized by two main landscapes. Nationalism and protectionism were already on the rise when COVID-19 shut down global supply chains. As the Egyptian economy falters, Sisi is turning to the Chinese government for support. [30] Ambazonian nationalists have claimed that the referendum was not free and fair. Flag of Savannah State. From: Africa Direct. Allied naval superiority allowed the swift capture of the Cameroonian coast, cutting the Germans off from reinforcement or resupply. Ambazonia terrorists Beheading a woman in Muyuka, SW region of Cameroon, 11 Aug 2020. Fulani fighters, including some who have crossed the border from Nigeria to Cameroon, have been implicated in some of the conflicts deadliest incidents. Brown stands for the soil and fertility and Strength. 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. It raises the question: How do companies with large global footprints decide which side to pick? Tree stands for connection, unity and growth of the people. Business Name: OverReacher Empire Corporation On the other hand, Cameroon's state Army is using shrewd military tactics against the guerilla warfare of these militias. The flags also represent the traditional colours of the Mezam cultural wear (traditional clothes)). Red disk stands for the blood shed by the people for the struggle and courage. 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. 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 top of Mount Cameroon has a polar climate of the tundra variant, unique in West Africa and extremely rare so close to the Equator.[64]. For statistical purposes, LGAs (Districts) are further divided into wards or sub-districts which are administered by a Ward Councilor. Orange stands for Courage and sacrifice. Not included in this total of "countries" and listed separately are: Dependencies (or dependent territories, dependent areas) or Areas of . History. In 1990, opposition political parties were legalized and John Ngu Foncha, the leading Anglophone in Cameroon's government, resigned from the governing party and encapsulated much of the dissatisfaction with the central government's attitude toward the Anglophone regions in his public resignation letter: [I]t became clear to me that I had become an irrelevant nuisance that had to be ignored and ridiculed. In an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, published in local media outlets, the Biafran leader Kanu requested that the U.S. government suspend arms sales to Nigeria, citing human rights abuses and Buharis draconian measures to put down peaceful pro-Biafran protests. The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Understand Africa's tomorrow. Black stands for the people, the culture. A county may secede from a state and become a state or join another state based on a referendum that supports it. 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. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Surrounded by water from all directions, Africa is a continent with clearly defined borders. Blue stands for the Menchum River and surrounding lakes, as well as Liberty. Star stands for Leadership and prosperity. [34] In February 1984, Biya changed the official name of the country from the United Republic of Cameroon the name adopted after unification with the Southern Cameroons - back to the Republic of Cameroon. In February 2020, armed Fulani men alongside Cameroonian military personnel attacked Ngarbuh village in the Northwest region and killed 21 civilians, including 13 children. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics). 1134/2002, U.N. Doc. Explore the benefits included in your subscription. The previous year, Nigerian security forces arrested more than 30 other Anglophone activists. Weekly update on whats driving U.S. national security policy. On 5 January 2018, members of the Ambazonia Interim Government in exile in Abuja, Nigeria, including President Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, were arrested and deported to Cameroon into the custody of government forces to face criminal charges. The State flag is raised alongside the National flag on State institutions or State property, while the County flag is raised alongside both the State flag and National flag on local or county institution or property.[22]. The two also discussed climate cooperation with China, the road to COP28, and much else. Symbolism (Blue stands for the Ndian River, Akpa Yafe River, the Ocean and Liberty. European traders from several nations visited Ambas Bay beginning with the Portuguese in the 1470s. [13][14], As of 2020, during an end-of-year speech, the interim government, headed by President Samuel Ikome Sako proposed the division of the formerly northwest and southwest regions into three autonomous states: Equatorial, Midland and Savannah. The separatist group, however, stated that there would not be peace in the sub-Saharan region of Africa until Biafra and Ambazonia agitators in Nigeria and Cameroon respectively get their . The only other country is Eritrea that beat Ethiopia to the game. [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. It took only a short while, however, for complaints to emerge. The bay which is located in southwestern Cameroon is considered as the boundary between Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroon. 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