Widikum

Last updated
Widikum
Widikum-Boffe
Commune and town.
Cameroon adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Widikum
Location in Cameroon
Coordinates: 5°52′18″N9°46′14″E / 5.87167°N 9.77056°E / 5.87167; 9.77056
CountryFlag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Region Savannah State; North West
Department Momo County
DistrictWidikum-Boffe
Government
  Type3rd Order
Area
  Total169.68 sq mi (439.48 km2)
Population
  Total86,822
  Density23/sq mi (8.8/km2)
Time zone UTC+1 (WAT)
Köppen climate typeAm : Tropical monsoon climate

Widikum is a town and capital of the Widikum-Boffe district in Cameroon. It also serves as the Ambazonian capital of Midland State. Home to the Widikum Tribe, it is located in Momo County in northwestern Cameroon . [1] Within the district, the town has a population of 28,152 (2005). [2] The town is located at the meeting point of the Momo and Man River.

Contents

It is also the homeland of Ambazonian lawyer and activist, Fon Gorji Dinka. [3] [4]

History

In 2019, Ambazonian separatist, General Sebastian, as he was popularly called, was killed during a military raid on his camp in Widikum on the January 5th. Security sources reported that 17 separatist fighters were killed in the course of the raid while several weapons were seized and the camp completely destroyed. However, sources within the separatist movement dispute the figures portrayed by the army and say only ‘General Sebastian’ was killed in the course of the attack as his ‘soldiers’ fell back and took cover. [5]

Government

The villages are ruled by traditional structures under the leadership of the chief or Ofon. The quarter(neighborhood) is governed by a quarter-head and all family heads, while the village is ruled by the village council. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambazonia</span> Political entity proclaimed by Cameroons Anglophone separatists

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 2024.

The Widikum people are an ethnic group of Cameroon and are one of the largest ethnic groups of the North-West Region of Cameroon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglophone Crisis</span> 2017–present separatist conflict in Cameroon

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivo Mbah</span> Ambazonian general (died 2018)

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 2018.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.

The Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) is an Ambazonian independence movement. The movement has been known as "hardline" compared to other major Ambazonian separatist movements, and unwilling to engage with federalists. Starting off with a complicated relationship with the larger Interim Government of Ambazonia (IG), following the 2019 Ambazonian leadership crisis, the AGovC officially allied itself to the faction of the IG loyal to the first President of Ambazonia, Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lekeaka Oliver</span> Ambazonian separatist commander (1968–2022)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bamenda Clean</span> Part of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon

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.

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.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2024.

References

  1. Ngwa 2017 , p. 69.
  2. "Widikum Development" (PDF).
  3. "All you need to know about the origin of the name 'Ambazonia'". Mimi Mefo Info. October 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  4. "Republic of Ambazonia". ambazonia.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  5. "Cameroon: 'Ambazonia General' killed in Widikum".
  6. "Widikum District" (PDF).

Sources