The Southern Cameroons debate is gradually taking a national note once again. The Print media especially Anglophone Media have been hampering on it. This is coming after 15 SCNC activists (Shey Alfred Sembe, Fokum Andrew, Moto James, Njousi Abang David, Chief Ekane Ivoson Maths, Bissong Mathias Arrey, Tabot James Arrey, Tebot Titanji Christian, Mokube Alus Ngoe (said to be blind), Nke Valentine, Tonjoh Peter Fehbi, Asoh Cletus, Mbua Richard, and Check Nyah) were arrested on July 17th and released on bail on August 30th after several failed attempts. Their release came after hundreds Southern Cameroonians protested at the Buea Court of First Instance. The activists also saw a battery of over 60 lawyers defending the activists with support from lawyers who traveled over the Mungo. The government of Paul Biya has deliberately refused to dialogue with the SCNC.

Worthy of note is that Southern Cameroons is that part of the British Mandate territory of Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961 it has been illegally part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Region and Southwest Region. Pressure groups since 1994 have been clamoring for independence and the Republic of Ambazonia was declared by the Southern Cameroons Peoples Organization (SCAPO) on 31 August 2006. Since then till now, many Southern Cameroons activists have been arrested and molested, others are still in detention while some are in for self-exile. Also, recently information filtering in from the senior citizen and veteran Southern Cameroons activist, Mola Njoh Litumbe indicates that the United Nations (UN) needs two million signatures from Southern Cameroonians to begin the Southern Cameroons independence process. However, the Ambazonia Governing Council led my Mr. Ayaba Cho Lucas has made nonsense of this development as the same repetition which will yield no fruit.

CRTV on Sunday 4th August on national TV during the Press review spoke extensively on the SCNC issues. Barrister Kemende and Senior Journalist Kini Nsom put forth some strong spirited defense on the Southern Cameroons question with such great dismay from the CRTV Journalist Joe Chebonkeng who was trying to scale back the historical points these panelists were saying. It is our hope that the Government should be more open to Southern Cameroons debate so as to map a better way forward for the country.

However, despite the fact that 15 SCNC activists were released on August 30th, they will be appearing before the State Counsel on September 5th, 2016 for another hearing. The defense lawyers have called for the case to be thrown out completely since the presiding judge sent the case back to the legal department. We await to see what happens on Monday, September 5th when the matter is heard at the State Counsel Office in Buea.

Meanwhile, the Ambazonia Governing Council Chairman, Mr. Ayaba Cho Lucas has again called for the release of Maxwell Oben, an SCNC activist who has been in detention since 2014 and he is reportedly going blind. Mr. Ayaba in his own words wrote:

” FREE OBEN MAXWEL: Detained by the occupier for his devotion to the freedom of Ambazonians. Tortured for his steadfastness towards our collective dream; kept under inhumane and degrading conditions for refusing to yield. We must all speak out for his freedom. The Ambazonian Governing Council will begin the next phase of its campaign, Leave no one behind to gain the release of our brave patriots locked up by those who have occupied our country and treated us with scorn and disdain.. As our honourable Don Wan-Obi wrote, we must be bold and refuse to succumb. Only a bold and unyielding people to the very desires of their survival are respected. Cameroun is a pariah state and the Freedom of Ambazonia will inspire and embolden Cameroonians to overthrow the existing thuggery and restore for themselves and their progeny a country they can be proud of….”

BaretaNews add its voice to the call for all SCNC activists to be released unconditionally. These are Cameroonians with the right to association, free speech and the right to question the state of the Union between La Republique Du Cameroun and Southern Cameroons. As declared by the Banjul Court, Gambia, Southern Cameroons constitute a “people” and in international law, a “people” have the right to seek for self-determination. Self-determination is a human right and Southern Cameroonians should be allowed to exhibit such a right.

God is still saying something.