Gathering of Youth in Buea Under CPDM Banner to Support Biya Sparks Uproar
By Andre Momo
A controversial youth rally held in Buea under the banner of the colonial CPDM party in support of long-time Cameroonian ruler Paul Biya has ignited outrage across Ambazonia.
Earlier this week, a small group of young people, reportedly mobilized by local pro-regime figures, assembled at Independence Square in Buea — the capital of the Southern Zone of Ambazonia. Despite the ongoing ban on colonial electoral processes in the territory, the gathering was billed as a show of support for 92-year-old President Biya ahead of a presidential election widely dismissed in Ambazonia as illegitimate.
Observers have condemned the event as political theater staged by the colonial administration and its sympathizers, calling it a betrayal of the Ambazonian cause. Many within the community believe the youth were either misled or financially induced to appear on camera, lending support to a leader who has ruled French Cameroun since 1982 and who once publicly admitted to failing in his bid to assimilate Ambazonians.
Critics were further incensed when organizers of the rally claimed to have raised over five million CFA francs in support of Biya’s campaign. Given the backdrop of a protracted armed conflict in the region, this move was viewed by many as a stark illustration of elite disconnect and insensitivity to the suffering of the local population.
“If these youth were truly children of Ambazonia,” said one local commentator, “they would be demanding the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from our land, not supporting the same regime that has oppressed and brutalized us.”
There is growing suspicion that some of the participants may not have been from Ambazonia at all, but rather from French Cameroun — a claim that further fuels local frustration. Those believed to be collaborators or regime sympathizers are now under public scrutiny, with community watchdogs and pro-independence fighters vowing to monitor and expose future attempts to promote colonial politics on Ambazonian soil.
With similar events anticipated in other parts of the Southern and Northern Zones, Ambazonian self-defense groups have issued warnings to the population to avoid participation in any electoral activities linked to the Biya regime. They maintain that no form of presidential election will be tolerated in the territory and have pledged to take decisive action against those who defy this position.
As tensions rise ahead of the French Cameroun presidential vote, the political divide deepens — with Ambazonian activists resolute in their pursuit of total independence and rejection of what they term “colonial distractions.”
