UK House of Commons’ Briefing Paper Attempts to Force Federalism on Ambazonians
Is the UK House of Commons, through its recent briefing paper on the conflict in Ambazonia attempting to force Federalism down the throats of Ambazonians?
On June 6 2018, the UK House of Commons Library published a briefing paper number 8331, on what it described as “The Anglophone Cameroon Crisis.” The paper is divided into five sections – Overview, history and legacies, 2015-17 main developments, Event during 2018 and future prospects, and the Response of Western governments.
According to the House of Commoons Library Research Service, such briefing papers which are often impartial and evidence based, are aimed at providing members of the UK House of Commons, with the necessary information on critical issues to facilitate their work. In this case, the briefing paper on Ambazonia, according to the library, is to help the lawmakers understand the conflict in the Cameroons and act more vigorously towards finding a peaceful and lasting solution.
But how impartial and unbiased is the briefing paper, as claimed by the House of Commons Library? After BaretaNews’ analysis of sections 1 & 2 of the briefing last week, we now try to answer the preceding question based on some of the issues presented in sections 3 & 4 of the paper.
The paper in these sections highlights the escalation of the situation from a crisis in 2016 to the present stage of a serious violent conflict, noting that the appointment of French-educated judges and teachers to courts and schools in Ambazonia respectively as the immediate causes of the revolution.
“By the end of 2016, local teachers and lawyers had launched a campaign of strikes and demonstrations. University students and other activists began to get involved too. The security forces responded heavy-handedly.
Then in December 2016, four protesters were shot dead during protests outside a ruling party meeting in the city of Bamenda. In January 2017, an umbrella protest group, the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) was banned and two of its leaders were arrested.”
Even though the writers of the briefing described it as an impartial and fair assessment of the conflict, a critical look at the writeup shows the writers already adopting a position in which they would wish to see the conflict culminate with – Federalism. The following statements in section 4 particularly caught the attention of BaretaNews:
“It is impossible to say how many people in the two Anglophone regions support secession. Plenty would probably still be satisfied by a return to meaningful federalism. But, although there was a limited cabinet reshuffle not long ago, there is no indication that the central government is willing seriously to consider restoring anything approaching federalism.”
From the above citation, one is tempted to ask the writers of the briefing the following questions; how can it be impossible for them to say how many people in Ambazonia support independence, but is possible for them to deduce that plenty of Southern Cameroonians would probably still be satisfied with a return to meaningful federalism? What informed this position of theirs?
The most reliable means so far to know what Ambazonians want would be by looking back at the mass protests of 22nd September 2017 and 1st October 2017 across Ambazonia, which the briefing technically ignored. The people were all responding to calls from the Interim government of the restored Sovereign Federal Republic of Ambazonia. What was the interpretation of the UK Parliament of these protests? Were the protesters demanding a return federalism?
From the present situation on ground, it is crystal clear. A majority of Southern Cameroons want a complete restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia. The present resistance on ground is not a quest to return to federalism. It is an independence war, a war that has overwhelm the colonial government of La Republic du Cameroun (LRC).
This explains why its terrorist soldiers out of frustration have resorted to targeted massacre of innocent Ambazonians, and the burning and looting of more than 70 villages. BaretaNews wonders aloud whether a possible return to federalism, which the briefing claims majority of Southern Cameroonians want, is worth such a price by the innocent masses.
One thing is clear, this 21st century generation of Southern Cameroonians, is completely different and far more enlightened than the generation of 1961. Ambazonians of this political epoch shall not allow themselves to be manipulated and sold again by the British Crown into another failure and political bondage in the name of federalism with LRC. UNGA Resolution 181 which granted independence to Israel has no more force in international law than UNGA1608(XV).
By UNGA Resolution 1608(XV) and consistent with UNGA 1541, Ambazonia remains a sovereign independent state and the UK should be working towards the implementation of these resolutions and not trying to force Ambazonians into an illegal union already proven to be an explosive failure.
As the spokesperson of the Movement of the Restoration of the Indepence of Ambazonia (MoRISC), Comrade Boh Herbert rightly pointed out, it is very easy for the UK to know what the people of Southern Cameroons want. “Call a referendum. After all, what is good for Scotland must be good for Ambazonia, unless it’s all about racism.”
James Agbor
BaretaNews Political Analyst
32 comments
We are not going to make same mistake of 1961.
Not this time, never again.
This generation of Ambazonians dose not confuse virtual reality in the abstract with concrete reality in the real world.
We will die and live free like all other free people. Living with LRC is worse that living in hell.
Sneaky, conniving, hypocritical Britain who absconded southern Cameroon in October of 1961, is again dancing around the political faux pas of 57 years ago instead of owning and amending it. True indeed comrade Bob Herbert, what is good for Scotland is good for Ambazonia, what is good for Brexit is equally good for Ambazonia except. Ambazonia or nothing else.
we need to fun fun fun fun fun and fun this revolution. Bullets have to rain on the colonizers they will beg the western world for rescue.
This is another clear indication that you are fighting a loosing battle. You have a choice of going for a win-win situation or get kill as rats. Wait and you will see the US chamber coming with the same conclusion. Very sad! There’s a time for everything and stupidity has to stop.
stupidity is when fools like you have been brain washed and refusing to question those in power instead turn the fight to those who are fighting for what belongs to them.
@Beatrine bah tarke, you are the fool and the stupid here, a smart person always choose his battle. How stupid on your part to try to catch a tiger with bare hands? By the what belong to you?
Biya’s forgotten bastard is spewing rubbish
@Pompidou Mensah, my dear i would rather be a bastard than be mentally retarded.
Stupid ‘jojo the jocker’, what is your problem?
The Jojos have a job to be paid for. We have a struggle to die for. Its so simple to understand. Where we are today is because of our blood. They think killing innocent civilians and burning villages is the solution and people like the jojos think its ok just because they are being paid. What a job.
My dear @Dinga I invite you to go study the word PATRIOTISM, I don’t need any pay to defend my country. You think killing those who don’t agreed with your evil idea, kidnapping for ransom, economy sabotage and preventing our children from going to school is going to give you independence? How sad! even God is mad at you.
Jojo bulu juju biya’s despised bastard is venting his abandonment again, no vin rouge for you.
@Pompidou Mensah for your information I am 100% Anglophone who just happen to know the difference between right and wrong. Your evil secession idea is wrong to the core.
Yes let’s negotiate federalism under first constitution. AMBAZONIA retain the presidency for 56 years like lrc did, while they occupy the seat of prime minister with all Ambazonians free from prison and detention.
@Pompidou Mensah have you lost your mind? What do you know about democracy? Anyway you are free to continue your fight aver the internet.
@Pompidou mensah ur back door federalism through 2 state of 61 is a no go zone. Federalism of 5 regions or 10. Don’t worry foncha try that shit be4 it didn’t work. U guys can’t fool anyone.
Please write a comprehensive expose of the activities running up to the present position and sight major media house comments to present to the British House of commons so that they can have concrete elements to question their own analysis.
We can criticize them but if we do not give them facts to down play their insinuations, they would continue playing the game with us. And of course, wee have come of age, we are more enlightened, so please get to work and present them with a master-piece.
Never again. We have just come out of mental and psychological slavery and now we know better who we are and where exactly we happen to find ourselves and why. No one can twist or distort the facts we have and no one can kill and bury them anymore. So am confident that nothing will stop the people in their move to completely liberate themselves from the shithole they were cajoled into.
I am falling from my chair. This Jojos says he is 100% anglophone. None of the Jojos is an anglo. But I know there is a Bami amongs them.
I think we must not be carried away by our sentiments or emotions. We must approach this matter not because we think complete independence must be our ultimate goal but because we believe federalism is not backed by law in our case. So we must stick to the law and not only what we think is right for us. In the case of federalism we must not out rightly say we don’t want to discuss it. We must be able to answer accurately if it is according to the law and in our best interests at this time. First lets be able to determine why federalism is chosen as the best option by the international community.Lets start by examining in what conditions we find ourselves to choose federalism. The condition in which we find ourselves in is a non respect of the Resolution 1608 and the following political actions taken by Ahmadou Ahidjo and then Mr Biya since 1961. In 1961 when Mr Ahidjo, representing LRC refused to sign a “joining” agreement with John Ngu Foncha, representing the Southern Cameroons it was clear that the “joining” processs was yet uncompleted and therefore any political action, decree or law passed by the domineering LRC government was nul and void. Nul and void because with their army in our territory and no way to fight back our compliance with whatever decision taken by Mr Ahidjo’s government did not in any way meant we agreed with it. So where did that leave us? Against our will and against their intentions it left us in square one where the “Joining” remained unsigned and consequently with no terms of reference in conducting the union. So the more powerful LRC used its military might to compel the Southern Cameroons to comply with any decision that suited LRC fancies. Does this show anything had changed according to resolution 1608? No. So in my opinion that is where we are today regardless of the years that have gone by. No number of years after this illegality would ever change it to legality.
In this situation since 1608 did not specifically call for a federation there can be no justification for any body or state to insist on that as a solution to the crises. Besides if we have to settle for a federation we must have conditions that would allow us to quit the federation if it does not serve our interests. So the question now is this – Why get into any federation when we would want to get out almost immediately? From the our experience with LRC they will never respect any conditions signed to create anything like a federation. Most importantly since Resolution 1608 does not specify the kind of union and conditions to create it there is no guarantee right now that LRC will want to accept our conditions – because we have the right to suggest the most extreme conditions which I doubt they would ever want to accept. And if they don’t? Do we have to repeal Resolution 1608 and come up with another that completely contradicts it? So let us discuss federalism as an argument to deny it. We should not refuse to discuss it. That way we use the to teach them how to respect it.
Brother Ngwa,
You make a fine argument which I find plausible but for the very foundation of discussing federalism. If the “joining with LRC” was illegal to start off with, then there is no basis for discussing any form of staying “joined” including FEDERALISM. From my personal experience having lived before and through this ‘forced annexation’ and the track record of LRC in forcing their system down our throats, any sign of letting our guards down the argument of illegality and thus giving them the idea that they can still hold on to their perceived colony, will unleash their full force of brutality upon the land and people of Southern Cameroons. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that we can not and should not entertain anything less than presenting our case in favor of our complete independence because the British crown vehemently opposed Southern Cameroon stand alone sovereignty on the flimsy excuse of viability or lack there of — a far different situation from the banana and cocoa economy of the 1960s. That clause of “independence by joining’ is archaic, and resolution 1608 with its flaws must be amended to reflect the maturity of present day Ambazonia just like parts of the United States constitution and the laws derived thereof has had many amendments since 1776.
Ngwa,
you are wasting your energies just like Barrister Balla did.
Our people are all banga smokers, and mimbo lovers. The choice to go to war is no work of chance. When you know you have a handicap in using the power of argument to prove your point, violence becomes the only viable option.
“Resolution 1608”? Ask the entire IG what that is all about. You would be shocked to find out that all of them would be wondering if you are talking Chinese.
That is exactly the reason why we chose the war option without any strategy due to ignorance, greed, wickedness, zero vision, impatience to sell oil, impatience to become ministers, impatience to become the Biya of Ambaland, etc,.
We can never succeed with our current strategy.
The truth is bitter, but it is better to know that truth and let it be even more bitter.
Fools
2. History and its legacies
Europa World Plus provides this historical background, which helps to
make sense of the current crisis in Anglophone Cameroon:
The German protectorate of Kamerun was established in 1884. In
1916 the German administration was overthrown by combined
French-British-Belgian military operations during the First World
War, and in 1919 the territory was divided into British and French
spheres of influence. In 1922 both zones became subject to
mandates of the League of Nations, which allocated four-fifths of
the territory to French administration as French Cameroun, and
the other one-fifth, comprising two long areas along the eastern
Nigerian border, to British administration as the Northern and
Southern Cameroons.
In 1946 the mandates were converted into United Nations (UN)
trust territories, still under their respective French and British
administrations. However, growing anti-colonial sentiment made
it difficult for France and Britain to resist the UN Charter’s promise
of eventual self-determination for all inhabitants of trust
territories. In 1956 French Cameroun became an autonomous
state within the French Community, and on 1 January 1960
proceeded to full independence as the Republic of Cameroon.
Ahmadou Ahidjo, the leader of the Union Camerounaise, who
hailed from northern Cameroon, was elected as the country’s first
President.
In the British Cameroons, which were attached for administrative
purposes to neighbouring Nigeria, a UN-supervised plebiscite was
held in 1961 in both parts of the trust territory. Voters in the
Southern Cameroons opted for union with the Republic of
Cameroon, while Northern Cameroons’ voters chose to merge
with Nigeria. The new Federal Republic of Cameroon thus
comprised two states: one comprising the former French zone
(Cameroun Oriental), and the other comprising the former British
portion (Cameroun Occidental). Ahidjo assumed the presidency of
the federation. He marginalized the radical nationalist movement,
led by the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), as well as
the federalist anglophone political élites. Ahidjo gradually eroded
political pluralism and strengthened his control over the political
system. In 1966 the Union Nationale Camerounaise (UNC), was
created as the sole legal party and it assumed full control of
Cameroon’s organized political and social affairs. In June 1972 the
country was officially renamed the United Republic of Cameroon,
thereby dissolving the federal state and reducing the powers of
the sub-national states. The powers of the presidency increased
significantly, at the expense of the Government and Parliament,
and Cameroon became a highly centralized state.
1
The British government of the day opposed there being a ‘third option’
for British Cameroonian voters at the time of the 1961 plebiscite: an
independent state. This stance was widely supported by other
governments at the UN. The British view was partly based on a
conviction that such a state would not be economically viable, but also
on the its wish that both parts of British Cameroons should merge with
Nigeria. However, things did not go according to plan and the southern
part of British Cameroons voted instead to merge with French
Cameroon.
Contemporary supporters of the cause of Southern Cameroonian
independence view the 1972 referendum that led to the end of
federalism in Cameroon as rigged. It took place during a period when
Cameroon was a one-party state in which the Francophone elite was
dominant.
It should be noted that there is some ambiguity in how the term
‘independence’ is used by its supporters. For some, this must mean full
independent statehood. Supporters of full independence often refer to
the putative state as ‘Ambazonia’. For others, a return to genuine
federalism might suffice.
There is little doubt that the former British territories that opted for
merger with Cameroon in 1961 have been relatively marginalised since
independence. But it is impossible to judge how much support the
cause of full independence has on the ground today.
There continue to be important differences between Anglophone
Cameroon and the rest of the country that it opted to join in 1961. The
main difference centres on language. French dominates the public realm
in Cameroon, despite a long-standing official policy of bilingualism.
Most Southern Cameroonians characterise the region as still
predominantly English-speaking.
However, while there is much truth in this statement, a bit of caution
may be justified on this count. A 2008 academic study noted that, in a
country of over 250 African languages, a significant minority of
Cameroonians spoke neither French nor English. But it also
acknowledged that ‘pidgin English’ was the lingua franca in the bulk of
the country, with at least 50% of the population speaking it. It added
there was also an emerging ‘Camfranglais’ or ‘Francamglais’ amongst
the young in Cameroon’s two main cities, Yaounde and Douala.
2
These observations suggest that the ‘Anglophone’/’Francophone’
linguistic distinction may be more blurred in everyday life for ordinary
Cameroonians than contemporary advocates for the independence of
Southern Cameroon might suggest.
Another important difference is the legal system in Southern Cameroon,
which is based predominantly on UK-derived common law. But critics of
the central government argue that the autonomy of this legal system
has been progressively eroded, with the use of French increasingly being
imposed in local courts. There are similar complaints about the
marginalisation of English in schools and universities.
Ambazonia is the world’s newest free democracy in the making and a beacon of hope for Africa. No matter how the satan of Etoudi tries to delay it, it shall come to be. Unfortunately, He may not live long enough to see it. When we started in 2016, they thought 2 years away from election was long a time for them to asphyxiate our aspiration. Francois Fall, the failing UNSG representative, a crooked Guinea Conakry politician (franAfrique) aspiring to become the next president of his country and hoping for french support told the UNSC that election will be the solution to this conflict. What a jerk? There shall be no election in Ambazonia, Ambazonia shall be free. Anyone can take this to the bank and it will not bounce. Fund self defense, fund the IG through citizenship levy. Go to MyTripToBuea of IG or Project NeverAgain of AGC and make a contribution. I prefer and has made my contributions to MTTB but if you believe Project NeverAgain is the way to go, please go ahead and make a contribution. There are also SOCADEF, ARA, Tigers, SCDF etc that you can fund directly. Ambazonia shall be free
@Bali Nyonga there is nothing wrong with dreaming, but keep your dream over the internet.
WEEEER NA WANDA OOOOOH;
AMBA COUNTRY—– FACEBOOK
GOVERNMENT—- ABROAD
COURT JUSTICE—-BARETAS NEWS
ARMIES—–BUSHES CAMP
POPULATIONS—–REFUGES IN USA ;BELGIUM;NIGERIA;S AFRICA;CANADA…
WE ANGLOPHONES SAY STOP MANIPULATION;INTIMDATION;ABDUCTION AND RAPING.
I AM FROM SW AND CAMEROONIAN
That notion that majority of Ambazonians are for federalism was gotten from Maurice Kamto’s outing.
First condition for federalism to be discussed is that all those arrested because this struggle must be release
DO YOU HAVE MIND MUA
ARMIES CAME TO HELP US POPULATION LIVING IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON. WE ANGLOPHONES WILL COLLABORATE WITH THEM BECAUSE SOME STUPIDS KILLED MY CHIEF EBAKO.
BANDITS ….
I AM FROM SW AND CAMEROONIAN
My dear @Mua Cameroon is a country of rules and laws, federalism or not, all criminals now in jail must face justice. By the way people you call Ambazonians doesn’t exist anywhere on this planet, you are free to call yourself how you want, but respect others right.
Any freeborn of Ambaland will not say the rubbish you just said here.
Who is manipulating who here?
Where villages burnt by those abroad or by your satanic regime.
Who declared war?
Do they also manipulate your wicked military to burn down villages, humans,and bikes?
May God open your eyes.
Mua,
Why should kidnappers be released ??
Hope they don’t catch you one day.