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Anglophone Crisis

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Anglophone Crisis

Territory claimed by the Federal Republic of Ambazonia
DateSeptember 9, 2017[1] – present
(6 years, 11 months and 3 days)
Location
Southern Cameroons
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
 Cameroon Ambazonia
Commanders and leaders
Paul Biya
(President)
Joseph Beti Assomo
(Minister of Defence)
Maj. Gen. Nkoa Atenga
(Chief of Staff)		 Julius Ayuk Tabe
(President, 2017-18) (POW)[2]
Samuel Ikome Sako
(President, 2018–)[3]
Ayaba Cho Lucas
(AGC Chief)[4]
Benedict Kuah
(ADF Chief)[1]
Ebenezer Akwanga
(SOCADEF Chief)[5]
Units involved

 Cameroon

Ambazonia

  • Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF)[6]
  • Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (SOCADEF)[5]
  • Tigers of Ambazonia[5]
  • Vipers[5]
  • Ambaland Forces[5]
Casualties and losses
33+ killed[7][8] 26 killed[n 1]

32 killed[11][14]

Total 200 killed[15][n 2]

The Anglophone Crisis[17] is a conflict in the Anglophone Southern Cameroons region of Cameroon, with separatists fighting against the Government of Cameroon.[18] It is part of the long-standing Anglophone problem in Cameroon.

Background

Main article: Ambazonia § History

Start of hostilities

Declaration of independence

On September 9, 2017, the Ambazonia Defense Council (ADC) deployed forces in Southern Cameroons. ADC Chief Benedict Kuah formally declared war on the Government of Cameroon and the launching of combat operations to achieve the independence of the Federation of Ambazonia.[1] The ADC declared,

"The state of war that has been declared on the state of Ambazonia by the illegitimate and brutal colonial Government of La Republique du Cameroun is hereby engaged in self-defense and for the liberation of the Federation of Ambazonia from systematic human rights abuses and illegal annexation without a union treaty."[1]

Timeline

2017

September

  • On September 9, the ADF carried out a guerilla attack against military base in Besongabang, Manyu Division. The ADF commander in charge claimed his soldiers managed to return to base unreduced. Three Cameroonian soldiers were killed in the attack.[19]
  • On September 11, a bomb targetting security forces was detonated in the city of Bamenda.[20] ADF claimed responsibility for the attack.[19]
  • On September 21, an improvised bomb wounded three police officers in Bamenda. Separatists were blamed for the attack, which the governor described as an act of terrorism.[21]
  • On September 22, Cameroonian troops opened fire against Anglophone protestors. According to eye witnesses, five people were shot dead and many more were injured.[9]

October

  • On October 1, at least eight people died in clashes between police and demonstrators in Buea and Bamenda. The separatists strategically choose this date for mass demonstrations, as it is the anniversary for the unification of Cameroon and Southern Cameroons.[10]
  • On October 9, the Cameroonian military claimed to have stopped "hundreds of Nigerian fighters" from entering Southern Cameroons to join the struggle.[22]

November

  • On November 8, secessionists killed two or three Cameroonian gendarmes in Bamenda.[23]
  • On November 9, Cameroon issued international arrest warrants for 15 separatist leaders, including President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe.[24] Two Cameroonian soldiers were killed by separatists in two attacks the following night.[25]
  • On November 29, two soldiers and two policemen[26] were killed near the town Mamfe.[11]
  • Throughout November, eight soldiers, at least 14 civilians and five fugitives were confirmed killed due to the conflict.[11] Four soldiers and two policemen were killed in the last week of the month.[27]

December

  • On December 4, the Cameroonian government officially declared war on "these terrorists who seek secession", referring to the ADF.[26]
  • On December 7, Cameroonian forces retook the villages of Bafia and Muyenge.[28]
  • On December 9, an attack on a military post near Mamfe left six separatists and one Cameroonian police officer dead. The Cameroonian government claimed that 200 guerillas took part in the attack, using guns, spears and machetes.[29]
  • On Deember 18, four gendarmes were killed by separatists.[30]
  • On December 20, Nigerian sources claimed Cameroonian soldiers crossed the border into Nigeria in pursuit of separatist fighters. While the governments of both Nigeria and Cameroon denied that any such incidents had taken place, Cameroonian military officials had previously accused Nigeria of sheltering separatists.[30]

2018

January

  • On January 5, members of the Ambazonia Interim Government were detained in Nigeria by unknown parties. Voice of America reported that Julius Ayuk Tabe and six others were taken into custody at a hotel in Abuja.[31] Later reports claimed that the separatist leaders had been extradicted to Cameroon. These reports were later claimed to be false, as Nigeria released some leaders in February.[32] However, in April the Cameroonian government revealed that the separatist leaders were indeed extradited on January 26.[33] Among the total of 47 individuals, most had submitted claims for political asylum.[34]

February

  • On February 4, it was announced that Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako would become the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, succeeding Tabe.[3]
  • On February 12, three Cameroonian soldiers were killed and four wounded in the town of Kembong, hours after President Biya described the situation in Southern Cameroons as "stable".[35]
  • On February 14, separatists announced via social media announced they had captured a Cameroonian officer. The Cameroonian military confirmed a top official had gone missing.[36]
  • On February 20, two separatist fighters were killed by Cameroonian soldiers in Mundemba.[37]
  • On February 24, separatists abducted the government’s regional representative for social affairs in the Northwest Region, the second such abduction in two weeks. The ADF announced its willingness to exchange the kidnapped officials for imprisoned separatist activists.[38]

March

  • On March 11, Ambazonian forces released a video of an abducted government official.[39]
  • On March 13, heavy fighting took place in the village of Nguti, forcing civilians to hide in the forests.[18]

April

  • On April 4, Cameroon freed seven Swiss, six Cameroonian and five Italian hostages in the Anglophone area. While Cameroon claimed "seccessionist terrorists" were behind the hostage taking, the ADF denied any responsibility, claiming that "ADF does not take hostages. ADF arrest enablers and collaborators and does not arrest foreign nationals".[40]
  • On April 11, according to the newspaper The Voice, Cameroonian soldiers killed 18 civilians and destroyed their property, in retaliation of the killing of a comissioner. The Cameroonian army denied the incident.[14]
  • On April 12, a Cameroonian soldier was shot dead while clearing a road block mounted by separatists.[41]
  • On April 13, gunfights took place near the villages Ediki and Bombe Bakundu, Moungo Division, causing hundreds of civilians to flee to Mbanga.[42]
  • On April 18, three Cameroonian soldiers were killed in an attack in Eyumodjock.[43]
  • On April 20, two Cameroonian soldiers were killed and another four were injured by a landmine in the town of Eyumedjock, near the border with Nigeria.[44]
  • On April 25, following a battle, separatists forced the Cameroonian army to retreat from the town of Belo.[45]
  • On April 28, two Cameroonian gendarmes were killed in the Northwest Region. According to local reports, some gendarmes were also taken prisoner.[7]

May

  • On May 2, three Cameroonian soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base in the town of Mbonge, Southwest Region.[8]
  • On May 20, in an effort to boycott celebrations of Cameroon's National Day, Ambazonian forces struck in several villages throughout Southern Cameroons, including Konye, Batibo, Ekona. Four police officers and three militants were killed in fighting at Batibo.[16] The mayor of the town of Bangem was kidnapped for distributing uniforms to people to march in National Day ceremonies.[46]
  • On May 24, 30 people were killed when Cameroonian forces stormed a hotel in the town of Pinyin.[47]
  • At an unspecified point in May, the Cameroonian army retook Belo from the separatists. Fighting continued around the town, while nearly all the villagers fled.[4]

Military tactics

The Cameroonian Army is fighting a counter-insurgency war, aiming to hit the separatists' support base. This includes burning houses where weapons are found and, according to locals but denied by the army, carrying out revenge attacks.[48]

The Ambazonian separatists are fighting a guerilla war. Numerically and materially inferior of the Cameroonian Army, they carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and raids. Ambazonian Governing Council leader in exile Ayaba Cho Lucas summed up the ADF strategy in the following way: "60% of the GDP of Cameroon is earned in Ambazonia. [...] We must try to raise the cost of the occupation to higher than the profits they get here."[4]

Unlike the Cameroonian soldiers deployed in the region, the separatists are locals, and are thus more familiar with the terrain. Cameroonian General Melingui stated that the separatists have a leverage over the army when it comes to familiarity with the battleground; "They know the terrain. These are youths from local villages. We try to seek them out but we can't find them. Our men aren't familiar with the forest." Cameroonian authorities have admitted that they have little control over the security situation outside the cities.[48]

Both sides have used WhatsApp to spread propaganda.[48]

Humanitarian consequences

By January 2018, 15,000 people had fled from Southern Cameroons to Nigeria.[17] This number increased to at least 40,000 people by February.[49]

International reactions

Africa

  •  Nigeria – President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to prevent the separatists from operating from Nigerian territory; "Nigeria will take necessary measures within the ambit of the law to ensure that her territory is not used as a staging area to destabilise another friendly sovereign country".[50]

North America

  •  United States – According to the U.S. Department of State’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2017, Cameroonian forces carried out arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture, violations of freedom of expression and unlawful detentions in harsh prison conditions.[51] In 2018, the United States formally accused the Cameroonian army of carrying out targetted killings.[52]

Non-state actors

  • Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization – Ambazonia was admitted to the UNPO on March 28, 2018.[53] The UNPO criticized Nigeria's extradition of the Ambazonian leadership as a violation of international refugee law, as most of the individuals had submitted political asylum claims.[34]

Notes

  1. ^ See[9][10][11][12][13]
  2. ^ See [9][10][11][12][13][7][8][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d ADC Lands Ground Troops in Southern Cameroons, Declares War on LRC, Cameroon Journal, Sept 10, 2017. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  2. ^ President Ayuk Julius Tabe Wife Makes First Statement, Bareta News, Feb 1, 2018. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Just In-Dr Samuel Ikome Sako Is New Acting Interim President of The ‘Federal Republic of Ambazonia’, Cameroon News Agency, Feb 4, 2018. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c 'This is a genocide': villages burn as war rages in blood-soaked Cameroon, The Guardian, May 20, 2018. Accessed Jun 1, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e Who are Cameroon's English-speaking separatists?, Daily Nation, Feb 20, 2018. Accessed Apr 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Ambazonia defense forces". Cameroon Journal. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Two gendarmes killed in northwest Cameroon, police disrupt Yaounde peace march, Africa News, Apr 29, 2018. Accessed Apr 30, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Anglophone Crisis: Three soldiers killed in Mbonge". Cameroon Concord. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "Cameroon is on edge after security forces opened fire on Anglophone protesters". Quartz Africa. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Several killed in Cameroon as anglophones declare 'independent Ambazonia'". Euractiv. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Four Cameroon soldiers killed in restive Anglophone region". Daily Nation. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Separatists Attack Cameroon Police". Voice of America. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Security forces kill two separatist fighters in Mundemba". Journal du Cameroun. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Cameroon bishops urge president to resolve Anglophone crisis with dialogue". Cameroon Online. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  15. ^ Cameroon's Civil War Intensifies, Casualties Mount, Vox, May 23, 2018. Accessed May 23, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Fighting, attacks on timber and fuel trucks in Anglophone Cameroon likely to rise shortly before October elections, Jane's 360, May 21, 2018. Accessed May 22, 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Cameroon's Anglophone crisis is threatening to spin out of control". Quartz Africa. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Deadly clashes between troops, ADF forces leave Nguti on the brink". Journal du Cameroun. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. ^ a b Explosions in Bamenda and Killings in Besongabang Military Base, ADF Claims Responsibility, Cameroon Journal, Sept 13, 2017. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  20. ^ The crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions has turned violent with bombings, Quartz, Sept 22, 2017. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Suspected separatist bomb wounds 3 police in Cameroon's Anglophone region, Reuters, Sept 21, 2017. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  22. ^ Cameroonian troops deploy heavily along Nigeria border, DW, Oct 9, 2017. Accessed Apr 20, 2018.
  23. ^ Cameroon separatists kill at least two gendarmes as Anglophone dispute escalates, Reuters, Nov 8, 2017. Accessed Apr 20, 2018.
  24. ^ Cameroon issues arrest warrants for Anglophone separatist party leaders, African Independent, Nov 9, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  25. ^ Cameroon separatist attacks kill four security forces: government, Reuters, Nov 11, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Cameroon government ‘declares war’ on secessionist rebels, Irin, Dec 4, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  27. ^ Cameroon secessionists kill six soldiers, police: president, Reuters, Dec 1, 2017. Accessed Apr 29, 2018.
  28. ^ Cameroon's Military Moves In on Separatist-held Villages, Voice of America, Dec 7, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  29. ^ Separatists Attack Cameroon Police, Voice of America, Dec 9, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  30. ^ a b Cameroonian troops entered Nigeria without seeking authorization, sources in Nigeria say, Reuters, Dec 20, 2017. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  31. ^ Cameroon separatist leader detained in Nigeria as unrest grows. The Guardian, Jan 7, 2018. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  32. ^ Nigeria releases Cameroon separatists who were previously reported 'extradited', Africa News, Feb 28, 2018. Accessed Apr 19, 2018.
  33. ^ Cameroon govt says detained separatists are in good health, enjoying rights, Africa News, Apr 10, 2018. Accessed Apr 28, 2018.
  34. ^ a b "Ambazonia: Nigeria Hands over 47 Asylum-seekers to Cameroonian Authorities". UNPO. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  35. ^ Cameroon separatists kill three soldiers in overnight attack, Africa News, Feb 12, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  36. ^ Cameroon separatists claim to have abducted missing soldier Africa News, Feb 14, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  37. ^ Security forces kill two separatist fighters in Mundemba, Journal du Cameroun, Feb 20, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  38. ^ Kidnapping of government officials highlights risks to companies in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions deemed to be unfairly exploiting resources, Janes' 360, Feb 27, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  39. ^ Ambazonia Forces release video of Kidnapped Gov’t official, Journal du Cameroun, Mar 11, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  40. ^ Cameroon frees European hostages taken in Anglophone area, BBC, Apr 4, 2018. Accessed Apr 28, 2018.
  41. ^ Cameroonian soldier killed in separatist attack, residents decry military crackdown, Africa News, Apr 14, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  42. ^ Gov’t war against Ambazonia forces hits Littoral Region, Journal du Kameroun, Apr 19, 2018. Accessed Apr 28, 2018.
  43. ^ Mine blast wound six Cameroonian soldiers, Journal du Cameroun, Apr 20, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  44. ^ Landmine kills two soldiers in Cameroon, Punch Newspapers, Apr 20, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  45. ^ Cameroon separatists force army to retreat after face off in Northwest, Africa News, Apr 27, 2018. Accessed Apr 27, 2018.
  46. ^ Cameroon: Killings, Kidnappings Mars National Day Celebrations , allAfrica, May 21, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2018.
  47. ^ Dozens of Cameroon Youth Killed in South, Voanews, May 27, 2018. Accessed May 27, 2018.
  48. ^ a b c 'Dirty war' ravages Cameroon's Buea region, Daily Nation, May 5, 2018. Accessed May 7, 2018.
  49. ^ "Cameroon separatists claim to have abducted missing soldier". Africa News. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  50. ^ Nigeria's promise to Cameroon, Africa Review, Feb 13, 2018. Accessed Apr 21, 2018.
  51. ^ Cameroon forces in gross abuse over Anglophone, Boko Haram crisis – U.S. report, Ghana Web, Apr 23, 2018. Accessed Apr 23, 2018.
  52. ^ Cameroon army employing targeted killings, U.S. tasks Biya to show leadership, Africa News, May 18, 2018. Accessed May 18, 2018.
  53. ^ UNPO Welcomes Its Newest Member: Southern Cameroons, UNPO, Mar 28, 2018. Accessed Apr 28, 2018.
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