The War in Ambazonia is an Abscess on the CEMAC Body

President Paul Biya’s most insulting quote during his decades in power is “Tant que Yaoundé respire, le Cameroun vit”. In English, as long as Yaoundé breathes, Cameroon lives. The resonance of this insulting quote has been felt in many occasions when part of Cameroon is on fire and the select few privileged associates of the regime celebrate and party on the other part mockingly. One of such occasions during which this insulting quote was re-iterated was in the early days of the current crisis in 2016 when the presidential family partied with The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon with their Silver medals at the end of The women’s African Nations Cup while civilians were being arrested, molested and some killed in Southern Cameroons.

The same attitude has continued throughout the crisis until now. People in Yaoundé and other towns of La Republique du Cameroun consider the crisis as a distant war happening in a distant land with little or no effect on their lifestyle. They read about daily events happening in Ambazonia and watch news reports on TV from the comfort of their homes while the bereaved and displaced people of Ambazonia flee their homes to live in the wild. It is one of the most prominent illustrations of the fact that Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun are not one and indivisible as touted by Paul Biya.

While these pretentious practices of ignoring the crisis are promoted on state propaganda media outlets, the crisis in Ambazonia is gradually spreading and infecting not only the region but also the taproot of the economy of the entire CEMAC region. Foreign owned timber exploitation companies are packing out. Construction projects are being halted. The farming season has been disrupted. Once the economy of the country that is considered to be the bedrock of the CEMAC region crumbles, not only will the entire region suffer, the ripple effects will reach far beyond the African continent. Stability in the Gulf of Guinea is a matter of interest to many world powers including the US, France and China. Hence, the time to continue partying pretentiously while the abscess gets worse is fast running out.

The territory of Southern Cameroons is gradually becoming ungovernable as pro-independence forces gain grounds in their efforts to evict those they consider to be illegal occupiers on their land. Stubborn administrators, be they of La Republique du Cameroun origin, Southern Cameroons origin or from other countries are being captured on a daily basis now and taught the rules they have refused to obey. Many administrators sent by La Republique du Cameroun to Southern Cameroons now dread residing in the crisis-struck territory. Foreign companies operating in the area in sectors like agriculture, construction, timber exploitation, mining, etc. are packing out. Military raids on villages have sent tens of thousands of villagers fleeing into the bushes. Youths who were operating small businesses before the crisis have now been forced out of business to join and fortify the ranks of Ambazonia pro-independence forces.

One important turning point in the war is that pro-independence forces are now considering citizens of Ambazonia who collaborate with La Republique du Cameroun as enemies of the revolution as well. It used to be warnings and warnings only in the early days of the revolution with the likes of Ekema Patrick, but this time around more serious action is being taken. Ambazonians who prefer to collaborate or support the Yaoundé regime from now henceforth stand the risk of being hit in the same way as Republique forces. This critical turning point in the revolution is not new. Most other revolutions around the globe have gone through this stage where traitors are dealt with in the same way as the enemy and sometimes even more. In the case of the Ambazonia revolution, here are 5 groups of people, apart from the main enemy, who should proceed with extreme caution or else face the wrath of pro-independence fighters:

Ambazonians working in governmental and non-governmental institutions run by La Republique du Cameroun.
Ambazonian chiefs (especially those earning wages from La Republique)
Ambazonians residing in La Republique du Cameroun.
Ambazonians with spouses or family relatives from La Republique du Cameroun.
Foreigners from other countries apart from La Republique du Cameroun carrying out activities in Ambaland that serve La Republique du Cameroun.

In this time of extreme suffering in Ambazonia with hundreds of families mourning the loss of their beloved ones, remember that, gatherings and events considered by some people as normal are easily seen by the bereaved as a mockery of their situation. Revolutionaries in Ambazonia view any festivities involving celebrations and worse, paying allegiance to the Yaoundé regime as a provocation and a mockery of the revolution. If Ambazonia must suffer the pain of repression from the oppressor, let there be pain on all Ambazonians. If Ambazonia must fight back, let all Ambazonians fight back. One for all and all for one.
“You cannot party with abscess on one part of your body.”

Ndoh Emmanuel
For BaretaNews