Are Southern Cameroonians Fighting for “Secession” or “Separation”?
In this present struggle for our freedom and independence, we should be very careful and articulate in the way we use legal words and concepts in order not to create the wrong impression. I say so because I have heard and read many write-ups on Facebook where Southern Cameroonians are voicing that they want “Secession” from La Republique du Cameroun. In reality, do we really want “secession” or “separation”? In normal discourse these words are used synonymously. However in politico-legal discourse, there are different with different implication and application. Which of these concepts is applicable in the Southern Cameroons situation? The aim of this short write-up is to explain these two concepts, secession and separation, and determine the one which is applicable in our context.
Contextually, what Southern Cameroonians are asking for is a mere Separation from L R.C, not Secession! As a matter of fact, secession does not in any way apply here and if we keep forcing the word into our context, it might create a negative impression which could be counter-productive to our struggle. In this guise, most Southern Cameroonians are separatists and not secessionists – even our SCNC brothers. In international law, secession is the detachment of a territory that was part of another at the date of independence. For example, what the Biafrans were trying to do in Nigeria was secession because at the time Nigeria had her independence on October 1, 1960 the territory of Biafra was an integral part of Nigeria. The most recent example is Southern Sudan which seceded from Sudan
idea which is historically untrue and misleading!
Interestingly, the act of separation is permissible under the African Union Constitutive Act (Charter) of which La Republique du Cameroun is a signatory. The A.U. Charter accepts separation because no people can consciously form a union with another country to assume the status of slaves or sub-humans. In international law and diplomacy, nations form unions in order to better their conditions of existence. If what brings two or more nations together cannot longer sustain them, they have the right to either re-negotiate the terms of their union or separate indefinitely – which is different from secession. They came together willingly; so they can separate willingly!
In the case of Southern Cameroons, our fore-fathers voted overwhelmingly on February 11th, 1961 to have their independence by joining French Cameroon under the guise of forming a federal association with the latter. In fact in June 1960, President Ahidjo reiterated that French Cameroon had no intention to annex British Southern Cameroons. In his interview in “Agence Press Camerounaise” he said: “I have said and repeated, in the name of the Government [of Republique du Cameroun], that we do not have any annexationist design”. In July, the same year, he stated more firmly in the same press that “For us, there can be no question of annexation of the Southern Cameroons. We have envisaged a flexible form of union, a federal form.”
Conclusively, it was on the basis of Ahidjo’s assurance that he will not annex Southern Cameroons that we formed a federal union with French Cameroun on the 1st of October, 1961 although no union treaty was signed to this effect. Truly, what brought us into this union was a federation and since it was destroyed in 1972 under the pretext of an illegal referendum, La Republique du Cameroun has no locus standi to force Southern Cameroons to stay in the association since what brought them together is no longer in force. Southern Cameroonians, therefore, have the legal right to separate from La Republique du Cameroun as per the A.U Charter which permits the separation of countries and also the U.N. Resolution 1541 of 15th of December, 1960. We shall overcome because he who is with us is great than him who is in them!
Dr. Zuhmboshi Eric,
First published, 6th, January 2017.
11 comments
Thank you for making this clarification. Let us hope that Biya,s choirboy Tchiroma, Cavaye the lunatic and others of their likes in LRC read this article.
Thank you very much.
It is called double confusion syndrome. Most of us are not yet conscious that it is the reality that dictates the words, never the words dictating the reality. Nor matter how hard they try, their words will never be able to alter the past. All it dose is makes them look confuse.
Thanks for this clarifications. Most of us aren’t legal experts. The reality however stands. Thanks again for this educative piece.
Matk baretA doesnt know the truth about southern cameroons.he and others must read my works and stop mis informing the world about southern cameroons.
Southern cameroons and cameroun are two seperate independent nations. Never been one. Soo sc cannot secede. Sc is a victim
Of cameroun illegal invasion and occupation.
It feels good to know this so how do we start the fighting or what again
Thank you Dr Zuhmboshi. Very important distinction in the words. There has to be consistency -seperation, seperation, seperation
The government of Lrc and Biya refer to Southern Cameroonians as secessionists so they can come in rape, abduct, kill and imprison. They have been doing this for more than 55 years. Do we want to continue living like under brutes who destroy us each day? Let the world know this not right and help us restore our nation Ambasonia
This text is very very good. I hop the devil paul biya can read this.
At least the article does give us some respite. However, there are some misgivings about the so-called facts therein. Also, it does not take a lawyer to detect the falsehoods, false pretenses and total deceit surrounding the entire British Cameroons history and contemporary political reality. I did try presenting the first revisionist perspective of these tenets in a couple of books published in the USA in 2004 and 2005: International Law and Conflicts: Resolving Border and Sovereignty Disputes in Africa (iUniverse, 2004), followed by Inside Contemporary Cameroun Politics (Authorhouse, 2005). Because I was lead by Almighty God to uncover UN Resolution 1608 in 1997 when sharing an apartment in South Carolina with veteran Journalist Ben Bongang, my works and life completely changed from the day I recognized that Yaounde regimes deceived our masses and so the hard facts and occurrences today were all documented and predicted in those works. This is not an advert of those works but rather to discount many opinions which do not have reliable citations or authoritative reference) regarding the British Cameroons saga. When Fon Gorji-Dinka, Prof. Bernard Fonlon and others began this struggle in 1984 following Paul Biya’s decree restoring what previously passed as the Cameroun Federation turned United Republic to simply Republic of Cameroon, which translate into French as La Republique du Cameroun, many did not understand, especially since those brain boxes of erstwhile Southern Cameroons were also quick to counter the decree with a the Traditional Name of Southern Cameroons—Ambazonia. Indeed, had it been people listened to Prime Minister (Augustine) Bobe Ngom Jua in the Mid sixties we would have long drawn world opinion to our demise. But good things usually happen when bad ones happen. For, in 1954, when we left Nigeria’s Eastern House citing Igbo Fear factor as reason to leave and form our own government in Buea, and eventually elected a true Camerounian as our Prime Minister (Foncha) who led us into the arms of the devils second in Cammand (Cameroun Presidents), we would not and never have dreamt good freedom dreams and come this close to living them had it been Yaounde was not just too quick to illegally annex our country.
I used British Cameroons because until it is restored, Ambazonia independence as Southern Cameroons would be a half told story and we can continue to expect Boko Haram throughout the Gulf of Guinea sub-region. The Territory given to the UK by the UN to administer was British Cameroons and the division of the territory was not a UN ploy. Thus for sustainable development, peace and security in the entire Gulf of Guinea and Ambazonia, Nigeria and Cameroun trio especially, the UN General Assembly Declaration has to be used to decolonize British Cameroons now before the territory is thrown into greater chaos.
Those who have advocated Southern Cameroons become independent as Ambazonia are telling half truths. UN 1608 was a voted for the independence of British Cameroons but it was highly flawed by different terms given the south from the north and I sincerely thank God the Cameroun voted against the said resolution,, else, how can we now clamour for independence? I also thank God for the Bakassi ruling which invoked Southern British Cameroons at least seven times, utilized the 1913 boundary with Nigeria and the 1919 boundary with Cameroun to present two maps to Cameroun President alerting him that UN was growing impatient with their delayed withdrawal from “The Zone”! (IPI Bakassi Peace Settlement, 2007). Lastly, I thank Prof. Kamto Maurice for resigning from the Cameroun government,, citing our maltreatment by Cameroun authorities and for opening our eyes when he refused to be the one to sign Cameroun’s withdrawal from Bakassi in response to UN Letter demanding Cameroun exit strategy (UN, 22/11/2011). The dream of Ambazonia Independence is becoming a bigger and stronger reality. If you listen carefully now you would hear the sound of freedom in the “Sounds of Silence” coming from Yaounde, Cameroun!
Mr. Muluh. Have you ever seen the actual
Document ? THE UNGA SC INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION IN 1961.UN RES 1608 AND NOT
1997 AS YOU GOT CONFUSED.
ITS POSTED ON MY FB PAGE UNDERNEATH
GO AND READ. ALL YOU WROTE THAT FOLLOWS
WONT BE NECESSARY. IF SC LEADERS HAD JUST DID AS ALL AFRICAN INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES HAS DONE. IE GET AN ARMY AND NEVER TALK.AND M8ND SC OWNS BUSINESS. BUT OUR PEOPLE LIKE TO TALK. WITH ENEMIES. THEY GLORIFY GOSSIPPING AND PAY NO ATTENTION
TO THE POWER OF FACTS
Sorry, did not see your response until now. I said, I was led to uncover 1608 from UN Archives at USC, SC, USA in 1997. Before then, no one mentioned it and had they come across it, the definition of this struggle would have no nearness to “secession” as it stands. So, I beg your indulgence to again understand that upon recovering 1608, I presented it to a confab of SCNC, SCYL, SDF and Ambazonia which held in TurnPike, Delaware, NJ. That same day, we developed the current Ambazonia flag or better still redesigned it. That was the first time we saw our various factions synchronizing and working as one and towards one goal.
Again, The AU Constitutive Act stresses respect of boundaries inherent from independence and yes, it has to be that and our people ought realize that once Cameroun signed that document on July 7, 2000, it invariably sealed their doom! And yes, separation not secession. I would not fan war and army building but the barrel of the pen and rule of law!!! Thanks for understanding.