By Hatem Johnson
The injustices suffered by the people of Southern Cameroons as British Colony was officially extended on the eve of October 1961 which was UN mandated date for Southern Cameroons to attain independence. Instead of declaring the Southern Cameroonians independent with a sovereign authority, the Britain handed Southern Cameroons to French Cameroun without due regard to the full implementation of the Resolution UN 1608(XV) on the independence of Southern Cameroons.
French Cameroon upon assuming authority over Southern Cameroons, wasted no time in establishing authoritarian rule, abolishing the post of Prime Minister that was assumed by Dr Endeley as the first Prime Minister of Southern Cameroons between 1954-1958 and John Foncha. In 1958-1965, Southern Cameroons became the first country in Africa to have democratic elections that saw the peaceful transfer of power from KNC party of Dr Endeley to KNDP party of John N. Foncha. Apart from abolishing the post of Prime Minister, they equally shutdown the lower and the upper houses of Parliament, dismantling the police force and replacing all Southern Cameroons administrators.
French Cameroun under Amadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya – led regimes have since treated Southern Cameroons as if it had been conquered. Faced with these injustices, many Southern Cameroons human rights fighters and independence advocates immediately gained courage from the words of Thomas Jefferson (When injustices become law, resistance becomes duty) and have for decades fought for the independence of Southern Cameroons.
The brave Fon Gorji Dinka, founder of the Republic of Ambazonia-1984 and writer of the Ambazonia’s Athem. Albert Mukong consider as Prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International for speaking out about the right to self-determination of the people of Southern Cameroons, Dr Kevin Ngwang Gumne leader of SCAPO in 2006, formally declared the Republic of Ambazonia. Late Mola Njoh Litumbe dreamt of seeing an independent Ambazonia state in his lifetime. In 1995, the SCNC rose to political prominence with a host of efforts to push for independence of Southern Cameroons under leadership Ambassador Henry Fossung, Dr Martin Luma, Dr Chief Ayamba, Frederick Ebong, and Dr Nfor Ngala Nfor, who is sentenced life imprisonment in Yaounde Central Prison since August 2019. Between 1993 and 1994, the charismatic Architects of the All Anglophones Conference (AAC) Dr. Simon Munzu, Barrister Elad Ekongtang and Pr. Carison Anyangwe called for the restoration of the Sovereign State of Southern. This resulted in several arrests and incarceration by French Cameroun’s Biya-led regime.
Under President Biya – led regime the French Cameroun enacted in 2014 the Anti-Terrorism law.
The law was intended to target, silence and supress Southern Cameroons defence movements advocating for independence such as the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) Movement for the Restoration of Southern Cameroons (MRSC), Southern Cameroons Governing Council (SCGC). Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) and the Southern Cameroons People Affairs Committee (SCAPAC) etc, that are clamouring for the independence of Southern Cameroons also known as Ambazonia.
