Is This SONARA’s Funeral? Kribi Oil Megaproject Sparks Fears of Resource Relocation from Ambazonia
By Andre Momo | BaretaNews Investigative Desk
Buea, Ambazonia – As the people of Ambazonia grapple with the ongoing war, displacement, and repression, a new and silent threat is taking shape—this time not through bullets, but through backdoor policies, secret documents, and concrete foundations. A recent official programme released by the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) has triggered alarm across Southern Cameroons, revealing plans for the laying of a foundation stone for a new integrated modern refinery and oil depot in Kribi, scheduled for July 17, 2025.
For many Ambazonians, this isn’t just a new project—it reads like the funeral program of SONARA, the long-struggling but symbolic oil refinery in Limbe.
A Relocation Cloaked as Development
The document, stamped and authorized by Yaoundé’s top oil officials, suggests that the colonial regime is making calculated moves to shift strategic infrastructure away from Ambazonian territory and into the Southern Region of La République du Cameroun.
“This is not just economic strategy,” said one analyst. “It is post-Biya planning. It’s a resource security maneuver designed to prepare for three possible futures: Biya’s exit, a federal restructuring, or Ambazonian independence.”
In any of those scenarios, Yaoundé’s survival hinges on retaining access to the oil and gas wealth of Southern Cameroons—but without having to deal with the Ambazonian people or their liberation claims.
SONARA: From National Asset to Abandoned Shell
Since the mysterious fire outbreak at SONARA in 2019—one that many suspect was intentional or at least suspiciously convenient—the Limbe refinery has limped from crisis to shutdown. Billions have disappeared in the name of reconstruction, but no real rehabilitation has taken place.
Now, with this new Kribi megaproject being announced, the writing on the wall is clear: Yaoundé is moving on from SONARA.
“It’s like organizing a funeral and not inviting the family,” said a youth leader in Limbe. “They are burying SONARA, but we are the ones who will be left with the grave.”
Kribi: The New Economic Capital of French Cameroun?
This is not the first major project quietly funneled into Kribi. In recent years, customs operations, deep-sea port activity, and major government procurement contracts have been diverted from Douala to Kribi. Even new vehicles intended for Douala ports are rerouted to Kribi, raising eyebrows among trade experts and activists alike.
This slow but deliberate shift raises the question: Is Kribi being groomed to replace both Douala and Limbe as the economic heartbeat of Cameroun—but within “safe” Francophone territory?
Many believe so. And if true, the implications are massive: it could mean a full economic detachment from Ambazonia in anticipation of eventual political separation.
A Warning Sign for Federalists and Fence-Sitters
The Kribi refinery announcement is also a clear message to those still holding out hope for federalism or confederation as a compromise solution. If Yaoundé truly intended to preserve national unity through federalism, why dismantle key infrastructure in the English-speaking zones?
“You don’t decentralize power by centralizing wealth,” remarked an Ambazonian economist. “What we see here is a retreat and resource evacuation under the disguise of development.”
The Bigger Picture: Colonization Through Concrete
The movement of SONARA’s operations is not an isolated event—it’s part of a broader colonization matrix. Infrastructure, investment, and logistics are being redirected. Roads in Ambazonia remain impassable. Schools are burned and unrehabilitated. Hospitals are underfunded. But Kribi and the South see highways, seaports, and now a strategic oil hub.
It is a silent war for control of tomorrow, and Yaoundé is laying its stones now—literally.
Conclusion: A Nation Must Not Sleep
As July 17 approaches, BaretaNews raises this call: Ambazonians must not be silent mourners at SONARA’s funeral. The people must ask hard questions, organize locally, and challenge the continued theft of their national assets.
To bury SONARA without accountability is to bury our future.
