| Battle of Bambui | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Anglophone Crisis | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cameroon |  Ambazonia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Bouba Dobekreo | "General Rasta"  "Colonel John" | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 11 injured (per Cameroon) | 15 killed (per Cameroon) | ||||||
Between July 28 and 31, 2022, Cameroonian forces launched a localized offensive into the Ambazonian-controlled town of Bambui, in Northwest Region, Cameroon, sparking clashes with the separatist Ambazonia Defence Forces.
The Anglophone Crisis began in 2017, when English-speaking people in the northwestern and southwestern regions of Cameroon declared independence due to allegations of persecution by the French-speaking Cameroonian government. [1] Originally beginning as a low-level insurgency, the Cameroonian government established control over the major cities while the Ambazonian rebels controlled much of the countryside and a few villages by 2020. [2] By 2022, both sides regularly launched raids on the territories of one another. In July 2022, tensions flared up in the Northwest Region near the regional capital of Bamenda after Cameroonian troops killed the commander of the pro-Ambazonian Red Dragons. [3]
On July 28, Cameroonian media stated that Cameroonian forces were preparing an incursion into Northwest Cameroon. [4] A day later, Cameroonian forces passed through the cities of Enyo, Ewai, and Bossom. [4] While passing through Bambui on July 31, elements of the Cameroonian Tubah Gendarmerie Brigade and Special Gendarmes Forces ambushed a group of Ambazonian fighters, sparking a firefight. [4] [5] According to Cameroonian media, fifteen Ambazonian fighters were killed in the clash, while eleven Cameroonian soldiers were injured. [4] [5] The operation was planned by Cameroonian general Bouba Dobekreo. [5]
Two Ambazonian commanders, General Rasta, also known as Roy Angafor Asenjo, and Colonel John, were captured. [6] The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa stated that General Rasta and Colonel John were both tortured before their deaths, and were extrajudicially killed. [7]
Ambazonia, alternatively the "Federal Republic of Ambazonia" or "State of Ambazonia", is a political entity proclaimed by Anglophone separatists who are seeking independence from Cameroon. The separatists claim that Ambazonia should consist of the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon. Since 2017, Ambazonian rebels are in an armed conflict with the Cameroonian military, in what is known as the Anglophone Crisis, setting up a government-in-exile and capturing some territory. No country has recognized Ambazonia's existence as of 2023.
The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War or the Cameroonian Civil War, is an ongoing armed conflict between Cameroon Armed Forces and Ambazonian separatist rebel groups, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. Following the suppression of 2016–17 protests by Cameroonian authorities, separatists in the Anglophone regions launched a guerrilla campaign and later proclaimed independence. Within two months, the government of Cameroon declared war on the separatists and sent its army into the Anglophone regions.
The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone regions of the former Southern Cameroons, Cameroon. It was formally established by the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) on 9 September 2017, the same day as the organization declared a war of independence.
Ivo Mbah was an Ambazonian general who fought in the Anglophone Crisis. Reportedly one of the first separatists to go to war against Cameroonian authorities, he fought for more than a year before he was killed in combat with the Cameroonian Armed Forces.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2017.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2018.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.
Red Dragon is an Ambazonian separatist militia loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia, and is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council. It was led by Lekeaka Oliver, and controlled most of Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region, driving away the traditional rulers and local administrators. The group was greatly weakened in 2022, with Oliver being killed.
Lekeaka Oliver, popularly known as Field Marshall, was a Cameroonian army soldier and later an Ambazonian separatist commander and the leader of the Red Dragon militia. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured Ambazonia Self-Defence Council, and is loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The Red Dragon is mainly active in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region. Oliver was the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government. Throughout his time as a separatist leader, Cameroonian forces erroneously reported that he had been killed three times. He was killed on 12 July 2022, though it remains unclear whether he was killed by Cameroonian forces or in an incident of separatist infighting.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2020.
Operation Bamenda Clean is an ongoing Cameroonian special counter-insurgency operation in Bamenda, Northwest Region, aimed at preventing armed Ambazonian separatists from operating in the city. By January 2021, Cameroon was gradually achieving what a security analyst at the University of Yaoundé called "relative peace" in Bamenda, and the mayor of the city stated that the operation was succeeding. However, as of March 2021, separatist-imposed ghost towns remained widely respected by the local population, and separatists controlled most roads leading in and out of Bamenda.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2021.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2022.
Clement Mbashie, better known by his nom de guerre "General No Pity", is an Ambazonian separatist who commands several militant groups, most importantly the Bambalang Marine Forces and Bui Unity Warriors, in the Anglophone Crisis.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2023.
Operation Bui Clean, also called Operation Kumbo Clean or Operation Clean Kumbo, was a military offensive conducted by the Cameroon Armed Forces against Ambazonian separatists in Cameroon's Northwest Region from May to June 2021. The operation took place in the context of the Anglophone Crisis.
Ngong Emmanuel, better known by his pseudonym Capo Daniel, is a Ambazonian separatist and political activist who served as member of the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) and deputy commander of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) until 2023. Since his resignation from the AGovC and ADF, he has become the commander of the Ambazonia Dark Forces. Daniel has generally operated from exile in Hong Kong.
Ayuk Ndifon Defcam, better known by his pseudonym "General Transporter" or "General Transporter of Meme", was an Ambazonian rebel leader. Mainly active in Meme department of Cameroon, he reportedly led one of the larger separatist militias in the region until his death in battle.