Ambazonia: The Infighting MUST Stop

Fellow Ambazonians,

I come today to have a candid conversation with the Ambazonian people, and specifically with our self-defence forces. A few days ago, we witnessed the senseless killing of three self-defence forces and the wounding of five civilians in Guzang, Batiboby a group that claimed to also be fighting for our flag. This is unacceptable. My heart goes out to all the fallen heroes of this struggle.

This war was declared on the people of Southern Cameroons by the president of French Cameroun on 30 November 2017. As a nation, we entered this conflict reluctantly, yet our purpose is clear– The people of the Ambazonia will not live at the mercy of a rogue regime that threatens its independence and freedom with unruly militias and marauding forces.

Over the last four years, we have seen images of young women raped, grandmothers burned in their homes, old men and women shot, and children executed. We have witnessed young men murdered and their bodies dumped on street corners, children killed in schools, houses and whole villages burned in all the corners of our nation.

These gruesome and sustain crimes show our enemy’s intention to prevent our independence, even if that means wiping out our whole population.  Our people are being killed by a regime seeking the return of oppression and the death of our independence.

My dear restoration forces: You must STOP attacking each other!! As Southern Cameroonians, we are not at war with each other. This war is not between frontline movements and different self-defence forces. Your enemy is La Republique du Cameroun.  Your task in this struggle is to free our people and to defend Ambazonia from grave danger. You MUST start fighting for the Ambazonian flag. Your utmost loyalty is to the nation above any frontline movement.

In this war for freedom, you have all chosen to bear the duty and share the honour of serving for our freedom. Your actions must be guided by a vision of unity and collaboration on the battlefield of many dangers. Ambazonia cannot afford to lose anymore lives in avoidable circumstances.Millions of Southern Cameroonians have confidence in you and are praying for you as you undertake this gigantic task to free our nation. The dangers to our country will only be defeated if we all start fighting against our common enemy.

We must guard against the corrupt and evil tactics of the enemy. We face an enemy that has no regard for conventions and morality. Our enemy has tried to sow chaos and pit us against each other, and we must be wise to spot its sinister plots. We cannot aid and abetthe enemy by fighting amongst ourselves. This war requires our sustained loyalty and self-restraint.

My dear self-defence forces, cooperation, and unity amongst you on the ground will deny the terrorists and rapists a ground of operation. Unity amongst you will narrow their path to success. Unity amongst you will give momentum to our struggle for independence. Unity amongst you will be a decisive blow to the rogue regime in Yaoundé.

Ambazonia is watching you and in you, her hope for victory lies. That trust is well placed, and you cannot afford to let your nation down. As we move closer to our goal, the regime in Yaoundé is becoming more active and brutal. There are difficult days ahead, yet we must remain strong. But above all, you at the forefront of this struggle must remain united.

Helping defeat an organised military after decades of dictatorship is a massive undertaking. Their only influence is violence, and their only agenda is death. Our agenda, in contrast, is freedom and independence, security and prosperity for our people. So, we must confront this dangerous enemy with unity and purpose.

We must now unite to defeat this evil. The rogue regime in Yaoundé must not determine the future of Ambazonia.

La Republique du Cameroun and the Federal Republic of Ambazonia have two contrasting visions–one of oppression and cruelty, the other of liberty and independence. These two visions are contending for the future of our country. The failure of freedom would only mark the continuation of subjugation, violence, and executions. But my fellow Ambazonians, we will not fail. We will unite, persevere, and defeat this common enemy.

May God bless you all, God Bless our fallen heroes,

Long Live the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

At least three people were killed and another abducted in a Boko Haram militant raid on the mainly Christian village of Gabass, Koza department, Far North Cameroon.

The heavily-armed militants struck the community as the villagers slept, in the early hours of 26 November.

Guidi village in Kolofata, Far North Cameroon, one of two villages attacked by Boko Haram in the early hours of 26 November

At the time of writing, security forces are conducting a search for the abducted villager and the perpetrators.

In a separate attack the same night on Guidi village in Kolofata, also in the Far North, Boko Haram militants set fire to five homes.

In October, authorities in Far North Cameroon had to close more than 60 schools along the northern border with Nigeria to protect children and teaching staff from repeated Boko Haram attacks, mainly by women and children used as suicide bombers.

Most of Cameroon’s Muslims, comprising around 20% of the population, live in the Far North region of this predominantly Christian country. In the Far North, rural Christian communities are frequently subjected to Boko Haram violence. Eyewitness accounts of attacks describe heavily armed militants encircling Christian villages, shouting throughout the night as they kill, loot and burn. Boko Haram has stated its aim is to establish an Islamic caliphate extending from its base in north-east Nigeria.

By Ewang Miriam Metchane

One of the world’s largest charities knew for years that it was funding alleged human rights abusers but repeatedly failed to address the issue, a lengthy, long-delayed report revealed on Tuesday.

A News investigation first exposed in March 2019 how WWF, the beloved nonprofit with the cuddly panda logo, financed and equipped park rangers accused of beating, torturing, sexually assaulting, and murdering scores of people. In response, WWF immediately commissioned an “independent review” led by Navi Pillay, a former United Nations commissioner for human rights.

The 160-page review, which has now been published online, corroborates problems exposed by News in Southern Cameroons, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report claimed the panel was prevented by the Covid-19 pandemic from traveling to locations where the abuses reportedly took place.

The review found that WWF had failed again and again to follow “its own commitments to respect human rights” — commitments that are not just required by law but essential to “the conservation of nature.”

In a statement issued in response to the review, WWF expressed “deep and unreserved sorrow for those who have suffered,” and said that abuses by park rangers “horrify us and go against all the values for which we stand.” The charity acknowledged its shortcomings and welcomed the recommendations, saying “we can and will do more.”

Pillay’s review declined to address whether high-level executives, who News found were aware of “accelerating” violence at at least one wildlife park as early as January 2018, were responsible for the charity’s missteps.

Overall, WWF paid too little attention to credible abuse allegations, failed to construct a system for victims to make complaints, and painted an overly rosy picture of its anti-poaching war in public communications, the report found. “Unfortunately, WWF’s commitments to implement its social policies have not been adequately and consistently followed through,” the report’s authors wrote.

WWF has supported efforts to fight wildlife crime for decades. Although local governments officially employ and pay park rangers who patrol national parks and protected wildlife reserves, in a number of countries across Africa and Asia WWF has provided crucial funding to make their jobs possible. The charity has framed its crusade against poaching in the hardened terms of war.

In a multi-part series, News found that WWF’s war on poaching came with civilian casualties: impoverished villagers living near the parks. At the , WWF responded that many of ’s assertions did “not match our understanding of events” — yet the charity swiftly overhauled many of its human rights policies after publication.

In the US, the series spurred a bipartisan investigation and proposed legislation that would prohibit the government from awarding money to international conservation groups that fund or support human rights violations. It also prompted a freeze of funds by the Interior Department, a review by the Government Accountability Office, and separate government probes in the UK and Germany.