North West Traditional Ruler Issues Stern Warning to Ambazonians

In a rare outing a traditional ruler in the restive North West Region of Cameroon, Fon Ju Wilson III of Koshin, has termed as ‘sacrilege’ and ‘evil’ the atrocities of the Ambazonia separatists. The warning was directed at Ayaba Cho Lucas, leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council (AgovC), and other separatists.

Fon Ju Wilson III, who is the Paramount Fon of Koshin Village in the Menchum division, began his video message by extending New Year greetings but quickly shifted the tone to address a pressing issue concerning the safety and well-being of the traditional rulers in the North West region. The paramount leader highlighted that this was the second time Ayaba Cho had issued threats against the Fons of the Northwest, emphasising that “enough is enough.”

The message was unequivocal. “The nonsense and the rubbish you people have been doing for the past years that we are not having peace in our country and our region is too much. We cannot bear it any longer,” HRH, the Fon, said.  

The traditional ruler expressed their dissatisfaction with the ongoing threats and violence perpetrated by the Ambazonian forces against them. The Fon emphasised the gravity of the situation, comparing the actions of the Ambazonian separatists to the epitome of evil.

Fon Ju Wilson III recounted the atrocities committed by Ayaba Cho and his forces, detailing the killings of several Fons and the burning of palaces. He specifically mentioned the brutal execution of the Fon of Buchi, Atanga Terence, the Fon of Esu in Menchum division, the Fon of Assa Village in Donga Mantung, the Fon of Andek Village in Donga Mantung, and the Fon of Jevi Village.

The traditional rulers did not shy away from addressing the torture inflicted upon their fellow Fons, citing examples such as the Fon of Bambalang, the Fon of Meijang, the Fon of Wazoh, and the Paramount Fon of Nso. Fon Ju Wilson III condemned these acts as sacrilege, stating, “It is nonsense and rubbish that you rub the Northwest tradition and culture in mud and disgraceful Fons of Northwest, and we are seething.”

Expressing his dissatisfaction, the traditional ruler called on the Fon of Mankon to take action against Ayaba Cho’s family.

“I wish I was the Fon of Mankon; Ayaba Cho would have been banished from the entire Mankon land,” the Fon of Koshin said. The urgency in his voice was palpable as they declared their readiness to take action against Ayaba Cho and other North West elites causing unrest in the region.

Fon Ju Wilson III revealed that Fons of the North West recently had a meeting to discuss the establishment of NOWEFO (Northwest Fons Forum) to address the challenges collectively. However, Ayaba Cho’s continued threats and insults have disrupted this initiative. The traditional rulers pledged to take action against Ayaba Cho and called for the intervention of government authorities of the countries where the separatists are resident abroad.

“We are going to storm the embassies where these Ambazonian leaders are found. We’re going to storm their embassies for one week, one month, calling on the government to repatriate you people back here so that at least something should be done to you people for peace to return to our country,” Fon Ju Wilson III declared.

The Fon expressed their collective frustration with the current situation and emphasised their commitment to ending the violence and restoring peace to the North West region, making it clear that the imaginary Ambazonian government would never come to fruition. The message conveyed a resolute determination to put an end to the ongoing unrest and bring about a sense of normalcy to the lives of the people in the Northwest region of Cameroon.

The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions has entered its seventh year, with numerous atrocities committed by both the Cameroon military and the separatists against civilians.