Incarcerated leader of the self-declared state of Ambazonia, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, has reiterated his readiness for dialogue if certain conditions are met by the government of Cameroon.
The separatist leader, who is serving a life sentence at Kondengui Prison Yaounde, expressed the wish in an interview published December 5, 2022, by the French language daily newspaper ‘Le Jour’.
Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, amongst other issues, called for the release of English-speaking prisoners and the demilitarisation of the Anglophone regions.
“We first propose that Cameroon, which has declared war, declare a ceasefire and the demilitarisation of the English-speaking regions, the release of all those imprisoned because of this crisis, an amnesty in favour of exiled compatriots, and the international dialogue mediated by a neutral country at a place agreed by both parties,” he said.
“As soon as these conditions are met, we will sit down. If the government wants to negotiate, we will negotiate,” the self-proclaimed leader added.
He had put forth the same conditions when he first met with some government representatives some years ago.
Jailed since January 2018, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe sounded highly spirited and determined for the separatist cause.
“I am physically in prison, but morally and spiritually, I am a free man. Those who put me here are more in prison than me,” he said, declaring, “I don’t have a problem with anyone, but I remain solid in fighting the fight that started several years ago. This fight aims for the liberation of Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia, from the oppression and bad governance that plague this country.”
It should be recalled that Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, after making a symbolic declaration of what he called the independence of ‘Ambazonia’, was arrested at the Nera Hotel in Nigeria, alongside 9 others, and repatriated to Cameroon, where a military court in Yaounde slammed their life prison sentences.
Thousands of English-speaking Cameroonians arrested from the North West and South West regions are equally imprisoned in most prisons across Cameroon, where many are living in deplorable conditions and some have died.
