The Ndop prison break occurred on July 28, 2018, when Ambazonian separatists broke into the Ndop central prison and freed 163 inmates. [2] [3]
The Ndop prison break occurred on July 28, 2018, when Ambazonian separatists broke into the Ndop central prison and freed 163 inmates. [2] [3]
Late in the evening, at least 50 separatist fighters stormed the premises of the Ndop central prison. They managed to outgun the guards who were on duty and brought down the prison gates, enabling 163 inmates to escape. Despite the arrival of reinforcements, Cameroonian forces were unable to prevent the separatists from burning down the prison. [2] During the raid, the separatists seized weapons and ammunition from the prison before retreating. [1]
Immediately following the raid, Cameroonian forces launched a manhunt to catch the fugitives. [1] However, many were able to hide in the crowd, making their re-arrest difficult. [2] The raid was the first of its kind since the start of the Anglophone Crisis. [3]
Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and commonly referred to as Amba Land, is a self-declared state, internationally considered to be an autonomous region of Cameroon, which regards itself as the successor state to former British Mandate territory of Southern Cameroons. Ambazonia is situated at the western periphery of Cameroon, where it borders Nigeria in a northern angle, the Bight of Bonny to the southwest, and the remainder of Cameroon to the east. Its claimed territory and population constitutes an area of 42,710 km square kilometres populated by roughly three and a half million people.
Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 300,000. It has two Government Hotels, the Mountain Hotel and Palamenterian Flats Hotel located around The Government Residential Area. The self-declared state of Ambazonia claims the city as its capital.
Ayaba Cho Lucas is an Anglophone Cameroonian activist. He is the former Secretary General of the Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL) and is the current leader of Ambazonia Governing Council, a separatist organization in Southern Cameroons.
Ayaba was expelled from the University of Buea in 1993 because he had led a one-man demonstration against tuition increases; he has been in exile from Cameroon since then. He eventually ended up in Norway, where he studied human rights and development at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and from where he has based his activism ever since. In January 2017, Ayaba was allegedly targeted for assassination in Brussels, Belgium.
The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War, or the Cameroonian Civil War, is a conflict in the Southern Cameroons region of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. In September 2017, separatists in the Anglophone territories of Northwest Region and Southwest Region declared the independence of Ambazonia and began fighting against the Government of Cameroon. Starting as a low-scale insurgency, the conflict spread to most parts of the Anglophone regions within a year. By the summer of 2019, the government controlled the major cities and parts of the countryside, while the separatists held parts of the countryside and regularly appeared in the major cities.
The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone region of 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.
The Battle of Batibo occurred on March 3, 2018, when Ambazonian separatists attacked Cameroonian troops on the Bamenda-Batibo Highway, Batibo Subdivision. At the time, it was reportedly the deadliest clash between Cameroonian and Ambazonian forces to date.
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.
Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe is an Ambazonian separatist leader, and the first president of the unrecognized Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2018.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.
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.
Red Dragon is an Ambazonian separatist militia loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia, and is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council. It is led by Lekeaka Oliver, and controls most of Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region, where they have driven away the traditional rulers and local administrators.
Seven Karta is an Ambazonian separatist militia that is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council. It was led by "General Alhaji" until his death in May 2020.
John Fru Ndi has been kidnapped twice during the Anglophone Crisis. The first incident was a brief and bloodless yet significant event in the ongoing war. Fru Ndi, who is the chairperson of Cameroon's largest opposition party, the SDF, was held by Ambazonian separatist fighters before being released later on the same day. The second incident was more dramatic, with gunmen breaking into his home, shooting his bodyguard in the leg and subjecting Fru Ndi to a rough treatment.
The Kondengui and Buea prison riots occurred on July 22 and 24, 2019, respectively. While the first riot started off as a protest against poor prison conditions and unjust detainment, the second riot was carried out in support of the former. Both riots were violently quelled by security forces, and hundreds of prisoners were transported to undisclosed locations. The fate of these prisoners and rumors of casualties during the crushing of the riots had political implications in the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, and brought international attention to the prison conditions. Following the riots, many suspected participants were subjected to torture, and were brought to court and sentenced without their lawyers present.
The Major National Dialogue is the official name of a dialogue between the Government of Cameroon and various opposition parties, aimed at resolving the Anglophone Crisis. The event took place between September 30 and October 4, 2019.
Lekeaka Oliver, popularly known as Field Marshall, is a former Cameroonian army soldier and currently 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 is the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government.
This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2020.
The Ngarbuh massacre took place in northwestern Cameroon on 14 February 2020 during the Anglophone Crisis, and resulted in the murder of at least 22 civilians by Cameroonian soldiers and Fulani extremists.
Operation Free Bafut was a week-long Cameroonian military operation against the Seven Karta militia in and around Bafut that resulted in the deaths of two separatist generals.