Leaders of the Cameroon separatist movement, called Ambazonia have maintained their demand for independence, despite clear warnings from international diplomats. Julius Fondong, a Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations, recently said that the UN would never grant independence to Ambazonia, the self-declared state in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.
Fondong’s statements came after widespread reports of a planned two-week lockdown imposed by separatists. The aim of the lockdown is to disrupt school resumption in the two English-speaking regions. Separatists who have been fighting for an independent state called Ambazonia say the sit-at-home policy will “draw the UN’s attention to their cause.” They have been fighting for independence since 2016.
But Fondong has said using children’s education as a tool in political conflicts is highly sensitive in international politics and “it is unacceptable.”
“Anyone with even the most elementary notion of world affairs should know, almost by intuition, that the education of children—especially in the context of armed conflict—is a very sensitive issue in international politics,” Fondong said. He urged separatists to follow the example of freedom fighters like John Garang and Sam Nujoma, who prioritized education during their liberation struggles. “Even the Taliban government in Afghanistan has understood the intricacies of the children’s right to education,” he added.
“No self-respecting international organization or civilized nation shall ever deal with or recognize a group that uses the education of children as a weapon to achieve a political goal.” He also noted that the UN does not grant independence but only recognises and upholds the independence or sovereignty of a people as freely expressed in a plebiscite, referendum, or election.
“The UN does not and cannot grant independence,” Fondong said, adding that, “Independence is achieved solely through the expression of the sovereign will and desire of a people as freely expressed in a plebiscite, a referendum, or an election.”
Fondong said the February 1961 plebiscite, which led to the unification of Southern Cameroons with Cameroon, is recognized by the UN, and any issues arising from it are considered internal matters of Cameroon.
Separatists leaders react
The response from separatist leaders like Chris Anu, leader of the self-proclaimed Ambazonia Interim Government, and Cho Ayaba Lucas, leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council was immidiate. They both termed Fondong’s statements as unfounded.
On his part, Chris Anu denied the accusation that separatists are using education as a weapon to achieve independence. “The Ambazonian leadership has consistently expressed support for school resumption, provided that the schools adhere to their own standards rather than those imposed by the annexationist government,” Anu said. He also criticized Fondong for ignoring the underlying causes of the conflict, “Fondong’s article fails to address the root causes of the conflict, particularly the issues related to education and governance that sparked the war in the first place.”
Cho Ayaba, in his response, said that their actions (him and armed separatist on the ground) are intended to delegitimize Cameroon’s authority over the Northwest and Southwest regions, which they refer to as Ambazonia. He lockdowns are part of a broader strategy that includes military action, sovereignty projects, economic sabotage, and resistance tactics.
“In this war of liberation, we have combined military action, sovereignty projects, resistance like boycotts, lockdowns, economic sabotage, and anti-election actions,” Ayaba said in a audio statement. He added, “Liberation wars have a multitude of actions to challenge the enemy, undermine its policies, and delegitimize their political authority.”
Ayaba also said strategies used in the Ambazonian liberation struggle are not new, and that their efforts have gained international attention. “Scholars are talking now because we did something. Ambazonia features prominently in scholarly reviews around the world,” he said.
Despite the claims by Ambazonian leaders that they do not target schools, there have been confirmed reports that some school campuses in the Anglophone regions have been converted into separatist camps.
