Bakassi is a peninsula on the Gulf of Guinea. It lies between the Cross River estuary, near the city of Calabar and the Rio del Ray estuary on the east. It is governed by Cameroon, following the transfer of sovereignty from neighbouring Nigeria as a result of a judgment by the International Court of Justice. On 22 November 2007, the Nigerian Senate rejected the transfer, since the Greentree Agreement ceding the area to Cameroon was contrary to Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution. Regardless, the territory was completely ceded to Cameroon on 14 August 2008, exactly two years after the first part of it was transferred.
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões, which became Cameroon in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms.
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the second president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982, having previously been the prime minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982. He is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, the longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world and the oldest head of state in the world.
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 have engaged in armed conflict with the Cameroonian military, in what is known as the Anglophone Crisis, and have attempted to set up governments-in-exile, and supportive militias have exerted control over parts of the claimed territory. No country has recognized Ambazonia's existence as of 2024.
Christian Oyakhilome, known as Pastor Chris, is a Christian faith leader, preacher, author, philanthropist, televangelist and president of LoveWorld Incorporated. He is recognized as the founding pastor of the megachurch Christ Embassy and author of the daily devotional Rhapsody of Realities.
The International Children's Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children's rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.
Relations between Cameroon and Nigeria were established in 1960, the same year that each country obtained its independence. Since then, their relationship has revolved in large part around their extensive shared border, as well as the legacy of colonial arrangements under which areas of Cameroon were administered as part of British Nigeria. The countries came close to war in the 1990s in the culmination of a long-running dispute over the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula. In the 21st century, however, a return to conviviality has been achieved, partly because the demarcation of their border has been formalised, and partly because the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad basin has necessitated increasingly close cooperation in regional security matters.
Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa, better known by his stage name BeBe Zahara Benet, is a Cameroonian-American drag performer, television personality, and musician best known for winning the first season of the reality-television drag competition RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009. In 2018, he returned as a surprise contestant for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, placing in the top four.
Anne Stella Fomumbod is a Cameroonian women's rights activist. She is the founder and CEO of the Interfaith Vision Foundation of Cameroon (IVFCam), and the driving force behind the Metta Charter on Widowhood, which has enabled significant progress in the human right of widows in her country.
The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War, is an ongoing armed conflict in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, between the Cameroonian government and Ambazonian separatist 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.
From 2018, the Anglophone Crisis drew increasing international attention, and became a challenge to Cameroon's foreign relations. Triggered by a violent crackdown on the 2016–2017 Cameroonian protests, the conflict escalated from a low-scale insurgency to a civil war-like situation. While Cameroon enjoys support from African countries, no country has openly supported the Ambazonian independence movements. However, many countries have put pressure on Cameroon to talk to the separatists. In addition, the separatists enjoy support from officers in the Nigerian Army, who have helped arrange arms deals for them.
Aissa Doumara Ngatansou is a Cameroonian activist. In 2019, she won the Simone Veil prize.
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.
The Jamaica Star is a newspaper often cited as a resource for happenings in Jamaica.
Divina Stella Maloum is an activist from Cameroon. She is the founder of Children for Peace (C4P) in Cameroon. She set up the organisation when she was 11 or 12 years old. She was inspired by children who were exploited, child marriages and child soldiers. She uses cartoons to communicate with children to avoid language barriers. She is a changemaker for peace. On November 20, 2019 - World Children's Day, when she was 14, she was joint winner of the International Children's Peace Prize together with Greta Thunberg. She was one of 137 applicants from 56 countries. The winners were announced by Desmond Tutu and the award was presented by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kailash Satyarthi in a ceremony at The Hague. The prize was 100,000 euros to be spent on their cause.
The Future Africa Leaders Award (FALA) is an annual prize awarded to 10 African youths who have contributed significantly in their local communities through innovation, societal education on local and global issues, developing solutions to combat societal issues, advocacy, social education and societal awareness. Each winner is given a grant of 10,000 USD and an outstanding winner among the 10 is given an additional 25,000 USD. Since inception, 110 youths from 28 countries have won this Award out of thousands of entries reviewed each year.
Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI), is a faith based non-profit, non-political, philanthropy and charity Non-Governmental Organisation founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome in 2008.
Achaleke Christian Leke, is Cameroonian activist. He was born in Fiango Kumba in Cameroon, is a peacebuilding and development activist and the 2016 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Born and raised in a conflict-hit city In 2007, at the age of 17, Achaleke started advocating against violences and crimes within his community. Since then, his activities in various vulnerable areas have led to partnerships with United Nations, World Bank and African Commonwealth, and have earned him a long list of recognitions, including becoming most influential young Cameroonian in 2016, and featuring on the UN list of 10 leaders who can inspire you to change the world in 2020.
Local Youth Corner Cameroon (LOYOC) is a Cameroonian non-governmental organization founded in 2002 to react on the increase in the socio-political and economic challenges facing young people. LOYOC focuses on youth empowerment in the domain of peacebuilding, healthy living, preventing and countering violent extremism.
Esther Omam Njomo is a Cameroonian human rights activist and the Executive director of Reach Out Cameroon, an NGO that promotes women's and children's rights in conflict-affected areas and ensures women's participation in the process of peacebuilding. She is the winner of the 2023 Global Centre for Pluralism Award, and the 2023 German Africa Prize.
