FPs Ravi Agrawal sat down with industry leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss how businesses can build resilience amid a turbulent geopolitical era. However, such referendum can only occur based on how the federal government treats that state (religious discrimination, tribal discrimination, exploitation of the state with no forms of developing it and marginalization). The Ambazonian leader narrated a story of how security officials shot dead a five-year-old child at a checkpoint in southern Cameroon. Read more:Cameroon: colonial past and present frictions. Yellow/Gold stands for wealth and justice. In October 2017, English-speaking separatists declared a breakaway state known as "Ambazonia". s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; The previous year, Nigerian security forces arrested more than 30 other Anglophone activists. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics). Then RusShow moresia invaded Ukraine, and businesses around the world confronted a decision on whether to pull out of the Russian market. I think it is that third option which is disturbing Southern Cameroonians up to this day. Ever since the two territories became one, Anglophone Cameroonians have complained they arepolitically and economically marginalized. However, such referendum can only occur based on how the county is treated within the state (marginalisation, tribal discrimination etc. Of late, we at FP have been wondering: What can Russias war in Ukraine teach the world going forward? More ways to stay updated on global news: By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. As large parts of Ambazonia are in the Western High Plateau, they have a somewhat cooler climate than the surrounding areas in Cameroon and Nigeria. Black stands for the People and culture. "They just shot the child, going to school, dressed in. The English speaking people of Southern Cameroons are demanding an independent, sovereign nation they call Ambazonia.Thanks for watching, please kindly Subsc. [47] A massive military deployment accompanied by curfews and forced evacuations of entire villages. For statistical purposes, LGAs (Districts) are further divided into wards or sub-districts which are administered by a Ward Councilor. In order to prevent the outbreak of an armed uprising, Cameroon's president must go beyond superficial measures by urgently implementing key reforms and pursuing inclusive, high-level dialogue mediated by the UN or African Union. Immigration officers walk on a bridge built in 1948 that connects Nigeria with Cameroon at Mfum border station in Cross Rivers State, southeast Nigeria on February 1, 2018. The next day, armed gunmen attacked a police station in the same area. Teachers and students have been kidnapped and killed and many schools and school materials burned while many children have had no schooling since the crisis began. [27], Increasing pressure for autonomy or independence reduced trust and engagement between the government and the Anglophone minority, with the result that by 2017 there was only one Anglophone among 36 ministers with portfolio in the Cameroonian government.[27]. Many militias have sought to enforce a total school strike since 2017 due to concerns over the lack of Anglophone teachers and curriculum. Germany conquered Buea in 1891 after several years of fighting, transferring the colonial capital there in 1892 from Douala. District Officers/Prefects are responsible for management of infrastructure, services and justice and may seek advice from tribal leaders if needed. Tensions between the groups date back decades. FRA/1231/22 THE PRESIDENT'S END OF YEAR ADDRESS TO THE NATION, (31 December 2022) ar, and how can we apply those lessons to make sure we dont sleepwalk into yet another war? Targeted ethnic violence against the Igbos by Fulani and other northern Nigerian ethnic groups was one of several factors that led to the civil war in the 1960s. Ultimately, Biafra surrendered to the federal government, but pro-Biafran and anti-government sentiment remained and has hardened in recent years. Flying bird stands for Freedom, wisdom and protection). Cameroon has maintained a bilingual system but the English speakers feel oppressed, The 1961 [Cameroon] constitution gave room for a federation, attorney Henry Baaboh said. Red disk stands for the blood of those who died for the struggle. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. By the time British Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun gained independence in 1961, the French territory was more economically developed than its British counterpart. Among the 10 who were convicted was Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the leader of the so-called Governing Council of Ambazonia - the name separatists have given to Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and South . Just over the border, armed separatist groups are fighting to carve out Cameroons English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions into a breakaway state called Ambazonia. Green strip stands for the fertility of the land. Activists across Africa have watched in amazement as the EFF in its short existence have successfully championed the course of the African people and has spoken severally about the plight of the Ambazonian people. [54] Sako resisted, leading to the 2019 Ambazonian leadership crisis. The name Ambazonia comes from Ambas Bay, the area of a settlement of freed slaves which is regarded as the boundary between Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon. May 20, 2021, 10:56 AM BUEA, CameroonFor the past five years, factions of a secessionist movement in southeastern Nigeria and a pro-independence movement in western Cameroon have been gathering. [30], Flag of Mezam County. The area is covered with dense rain forest. Calls for secession are growing and an Anglophone separatist movement in the south-west and north-w. Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Symbolism (Green stands for the Fertility of the land and growth of the nation. A referendum in 1961 sealed the future of British Cameroon: The northern region. Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent. Briefing House of Commons Library", "Report for the US Department of Justice: Pressure Groups in Southern Cameroons", "1608 (XV) The future of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration. Ambazonia is located in the west of Cameroon and southeast of Nigeria on the Gulf of Guinea. Black stands for the People and Culture. 994th Plenary meeting. The panelists included Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International; Carmine Di Sibio, CEO of Ernst & Young; Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore; and Lubna S. Olayan, chair of the executive committee of Olayan Financing Company. Red stands for the Strength and courage of the people. The Biafran and Ambazonian movements have individually grown increasingly violent in recent months and years. County-Ministers are responsible for the development of their counties, both socially and economically. However, many towns and villages in the hinterlands had no German administration and may have only seen German soldiers a handful of times. All the roads in West Cameroon my government had either built, improved or maintained were allowed to deteriorate making Kumba-Mamfe, Mamfe-Bamenda, Bamenda-Wum-Nkambe, Bamenda-Mom inaccessible by road. It raises the question: How do companies with large global footprints decide which side to pick? Red Star stands for the Blood of the people and leadership. Symbolism (Yellow stands for Prosperity and Justice. Since October 2016, protests and strikes related to sectoral demands have escalated into a crisis over the economic and political marginalisation of Cameroon's Anglophone minority. forces and militants fighting for an independent "Ambazonia," a name . The golden sun stands for a new era, hope, wealth and prosperity. The name Ambazonia comes from the Ambas Bay. Green stands for the fertility and growth of the land. green stands for the fertility of the land, prosperity and growth. A county may secede from a state and become a state or join another state based on a referendum that supports it. The name is derived from Ambas Bay, the bay at the territory's sea coast directly facing the Equatoguinean Island of Bioko. 1134/2002, U.N. Doc. Most of Ambazonia has a tropical monsoon climate, with the coastal plain containing some of the rainiest places in the world (such as the village of Debundscha). Other countries outside of the African continent have been involved in cryptocurrency initiatives. European traders from several nations visited Ambas Bay beginning with the Portuguese in the 1470s. t.async = !0; Watch the video now! The panelists included Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International; Carmine Di Sibio, CEO of Ernst & Young; Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore; and Lubna S. Olayan, chair of the executive committee of Olayan Financing Company. Midterm Elections). Yellow/Gold stands for the prosperity. Keep up with the world without stopping yours. [4] A Biafra-Ambazonia weapons exchange will bolster the Anglophone separatist movement, which has suffered in recent months from a severe lack of financial support from the diaspora, perhaps due to waning interest, pervasive human rights abuses carried out by separatist groups against civilians, or major divisions in the diaspora leadership. [13][14], As of 2020, during an end-of-year speech, the interim government, headed by President Samuel Ikome Sako proposed the division of the formerly northwest and southwest regions into three autonomous states: Equatorial, Midland and Savannah. Representatives can either be party affiliated or independent and are elected during national and state elections (which are similar to the U.S. midterm election and takes place every two years, in the middle of a presidential term), The State Council is responsible for the check and balances of the State Government and its leaders. }); Each state has its own legislature, the State Council, which is unicameral and is made up of representatives from each of the districts (LGA) that make up that state. Yellow stands for Justice and prosperity. Tribal leaders have the ability to make laws but must not go against County laws, State Laws or National (Federal) laws. }; Even so, a further exacerbation of ethnic tensions involving the Fulani in Cameroon is likely to have a ripple effect across the region. The Sun stands for a new era. [6] Ambazonian forces have struggled to form a united front, and internecine conflicts have hampered efforts to negotiate with Cameroon or establish control over the various militia groups engaged in the fighting. The Ambazonia dispute arose from the disposition of Germany's African colonies after World War I. Surrounded by water from all directions, Africa is a continent with clearly defined borders. In 1975, the government removed one of the two stars from the flag, another symbol of the federation between two states, creating a new flag with a single star. Address: 11207A Lockwood Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20901, Phone Number: (301) 593-4879 In 1984, a group of English speaking people, led by renowned lawyer and leader of the Widikum people, Fon Gorji Dinka, unilaterally declared the Republic of Ambazonia. This was in retaliation to the move by French speaking President Paul Biya to unilaterally change the name of the country from United Republic of Cameroon to Republic of Cameroon. A Biafra-Ambazonia weapons exchange will bolster the Anglophone separatist movement. [33], Flag of Ndian County. Delivered Thursday. Africa Institute of South Africa . I still do not understand why the United Nations did not give a third option, Feh Henry Baaboh, a legal expert in Doula, told DW. Zinchenko: Soccer symbolises Ukraine fight, Pender County Humane Society holding Pet Pals Foto Fundraiser, UK government bonds sell off on higher interest rate expectations, Bishops in western Cameroon concerned war will keep kids from school, Several killed in Cameroon as anglophones declare independent Ambazonia EURACTIV.com, Biafra, Ambazonia, Oduduwa to march at EU headquarters, says IPOB | The Guardian Nigeria News, Latin American exports lose momentum in 2022 and 2023, report by IDB Bank MercoPress, VSBLTY Selected As A Systems Integrator For Intel Smart Edge, AMBAZONIA ARMAGEDDON: Sinkhole Swallowing BIR Terrorists And Paul Biyas Militia Zombies, Keir Starmer says Rishi Sunak should apologise for lethal chaos in NHS under his watch UK politics live | Politics, Latest Updates From the World Economic Forum, Yakima Humane Society participating in 'Betty White Challenge' KIMA CBS 29. [19] Despite calls by Southern Cameroons leaders for full independence as a separation nation, United Nations' resolutions 1350 (XIII) of March 13, 1959 and 1352 (XIV) of October 16, 1959 called for plebiscites in Southern Cameroons and Northern Cameroons with two alternatives for ending the trusteeship: joining Nigeria or joining Cameroon. On the other hand, Cameroon's state Army is using shrewd military tactics against the guerilla warfare of these militias. [17] A Ward Councilor is responsible for surveying the territory, alerting the District Council of any disturbance (terrorism, ethnic violence etc. Biafrans and Ambazonians are predominantly Christians, while the Fulani are mostly Muslim. Endeley emerged as leader of the Quasi-Region of Southern Cameroons, with his official title being Leader of Government Business. Armed alliance between IPOB, Ambazonia could destabilise West and Central Africa; Daniel admitted in an interview with Foreign Policy that the alliance could destabilise West and Central Africa, with Nigeria being the largest economy in West Africa, and Cameroon, one of the major countries in Central Africa. Paul Biyas regime is ignoring the battle against Boko Haram and the Islamic State and using foreign counterterrorism assistance to fund its brutal repression of citizens with legitimate grievances. Prior to Cameroons independence in 1961, Southern Cameroons was administered as a UN Trust territory. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Countries of Africa: . Remember the adage that generals always fight the last war? He. sia invaded Ukraine, and businesses around the world confronted a decision on whether to pull out of the Russian market. Districts are further divided into Sub-Districts (Wards) headed by a Ward councilor who is appointed by a District Officer. The only other country is Eritrea that beat Ethiopia to the game. Separatist Movements in Nigeria and Camero Want to read more on this topic or region? Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. Separatist Movements in Nigeria and Camero BUEA, CameroonFor the past five years, factions of a secessionist movement in southeastern Nigeria and a pro-independence movement in western Cameroon have been gathering momentum, mobilizing supporters through social media, and clashing with government security forces in both countries. The post-colonial philosophy that made most alliances with Africa and the West look like a beautiful young girl toasted around by suitors or bidders, and whose will does not count, led to the establishment of Transactional alliances and not genuine partnership alliances. During this period various independence and federalist factions joined to form the Southern Cameroons National Council, a pressure group which undertook initiatives at the UN, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Commonwealth, and with national embassies to bring attention to the region and Anglophone issues in Cameroon. There is currently only a single permanent embassy, with Nigeria. I was to be used now only as window dressing and not listened to. In December 2020, Kanu announced the creation of the Eastern Security Network, a pro-Biafra paramilitary wing, which Nigerian authorities have accused of carrying out a spate of attacks this year. In 1858, British missionary Alfred Saker founded a settlement for freed slaves at the bay which was later renamed Victoria. List of countries in Africa. 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