This is a list of Ambazonian rebel commanders who served in armed groups during the Anglophone Crisis. As the political association of these commanders is often unknown, they are listed by their known active departments and other territories. For the known rebel militias involved in the conflict, see list of Ambazonian militant groups.
Ambazonian commanders often take symbolic names which reference animals or specific personal traits; these are used to evoke fear and respect. [1] Researcher Morgan Tebei Nwati has argued that many separatist leaders can be categorized as warlords, a view shared by researcher Michaela Pelican. [2] Pelican argued that the rebel commanders effectively operated within a "market of violence", leading small private armies which not only fought an insurgency against state representatives, but also engaged in criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom. Thus, they were using violence as an "economic basis for survival". [3]
From 2017 to 2023, over 100 Ambazonian commanders were killed in the insurgency. [4] For comparison, a single meeting of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (also known as " Ambazonia Restoration Forces"), one of several rebel factions in the conflict, was attended by over fifty "Field Mar[shals], Generals, Colonel[s] and Captains". [5]
Several Ambazonian separatist leaders are based in exile. Despite this, they play a role in directing rebel forces that are fighting in Cameroon itself. [6] [7] These include:
At the Cameroon–Nigeria border and on the Bakassi peninsula, the Anglophone Crisis overlaps with two other local insurgencies, namely the Bakassi conflict and the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria. Thus, the local rebels include not just Ambazonian separatists, but also Biafran separatists. [122]
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.
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.
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.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.
The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, Together with the Ambazonia Defence Forces, it was one of the most prominent militias fighting in the early Anglophone Crisis. It is mainly active in Meme and Fako.
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.
The Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (ASC), also known as Ambazonia Military Council (AMC), Ambazonia Military Forces (AMF), and Ambazonia Restoration Forces (ARF), is an umbrella organization that consists of several militants that fight for the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, including the Red Dragons, the Tigers of Ambazonia, Seven Karta, the Manyu Ghost Warriors, the Ambazonia Restoration Army, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces, the Bui Warriors, General No Pity's forces, and numerous others. Collectively, these militias possibly outsize the Ambazonia Defence Forces and SOCADEF.
Seven Karta is an Ambazonian separatist militia that is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council.
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.
Events in the year 2023 in Cameroon.
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 an 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. Following his resignation from the AGovC and ADF, fighters loyal to him formed the Ambazonia Dark Forces. In 2024, he called for an end to the armed struggle. 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.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2024.