By Mbah Godlove l BaretaNews
In what many Southern Cameroons activists have described as another symbolic victory for the Ambazonian resistance, organisers of the colonial General Certificate of Education examinations have effectively endorsed the longstanding Monday Ghost Town observed across Ambazonia. The examinations, initially scheduled to commence on Monday, June 1, were shifted to begin on Tuesday, June 2.
Since the restoration struggle intensified in 2017, Mondays have remained sacred days of civil resistance throughout Ambazonia. On these days, businesses remain closed, roads are largely deserted, and many citizens stay indoors in defiance of the French Cameroun occupation of the Southern Cameroons. The weekly shutdown emerged as a powerful non-violent protest against decades of political domination, marginalisation, arrests, and military repression by the regime in Yaoundé.
The colonial administration’s crackdown on peaceful demands for self-determination eventually escalated into an armed conflict that continues to engulf parts of Ground Zero. At the centre of the conflict remains the demand for the complete restoration of the independence of the former British Southern Cameroons under the name Ambazonia.
Over the years, the colonial regime has occasionally attempted to undermine the effectiveness of Monday Ghost Towns by scheduling official activities and public examinations on Mondays. Such actions were widely interpreted as efforts to challenge the resolve of the Ambazonian people and weaken compliance with the civil disobedience campaign.
This year, however, events unfolded differently. Recognising the reality on the ground, officials responsible for the GCE examinations adjusted the timetable, moving the start of the examinations from Monday to Tuesday. Across much of Ambazonia, Monday continued to witness widespread observance of the Ghost Town, with only limited activity reported in a few localities.
Many supporters of the Ambazonian cause have interpreted the decision as an implicit acknowledgement by the colonial authorities that Monday Ghost Towns remain firmly entrenched in the territory. Some have even argued that the move amounts to unofficial recognition of Monday as a de facto public holiday across Ambazonia.
For nearly a decade, hundreds of Ghost Town days have been observed across the territory. Supporters of the resistance maintain that the campaign has significantly disrupted the colonial administration’s economic activities and exposed the challenges facing Yaoundé in exercising effective control over parts of the occupied Southern Cameroons.
As another examination session begins, many Ambazonians see the timetable adjustment not merely as an administrative decision, but as further evidence that the resistance continues to shape realities on the ground despite years of military occupation and political pressure from the French Cameroun regime.
