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What’s the implication? Cameroon’s separatist movement thinks Nigeria just abducted its leaders

An independence seeking movement from Francophone Country, Cameroon, Ambazonia Separatist Movement, has demanded the release of its leaders, who it says, were captured by security forces at Nera Hotel in Abuja.

The Cameroonians, reportedly 6 in numbers, were having a meeting with the leader of the movement, Julius Ayuk Tabe, at the hotel when they were rounded up.

Though the Police and Army have denied involvement in the arrest of the separatist group, the Southern Cameroonians are calling for the freedom of it arrested members.

“The interim Government of the Southern Cameroons condemns and calls for the immediate release of President Julius Ayuk Tabe.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria has been notified of the incident and it is currently investigating the situation.”

French is the official language of Cameroon but English is spoken in two regions of the Country that borders Nigeria.

At independence in 1961, the UN held a referendum giving Anglophone Cameroonians the choice of joining either Nigeria or francophone Cameroon. With no option to become an Independent State, they chose their Francophone neighbours and together became a Federal Republic. But the Anglophones soon found it was not a marriage of equals.

The Country’s unrest started in November 2016, when the lawyers and teachers of the English-speaking region; North-West and South-West protested for reforms and autonomy, venting frustration of having to work in French.

This had led to a military crack-down with many fleeing the Country to Nigeria in fear of violence. Cameroonian troops were also reported to have crossed the border into Nigeria without authorization, in pursuit of rebels.

There have been series of protests involving military opening fire on protesters. It is also coming in the wake of President Paul Biya seeking re-election after a 35-year rule.

According to the Statement issued by Ambazonia, the meeting being held in the hotel was to discuss fundamental issues.

“The meeting was scheduled to discuss the Southern Cameroons Refugee crisis in Nigeria and to galvanise relief support for housing, medical and feeding in anticipation of the approaching rainy season.

“We call on Nigerian authorities to address this issue immediately and ensure that the Cameroun government does not do any harm to them. We also call on the Nigerian authorities to investigate this threat against its sovereignty by La Republique du Cameroun.”

Nigeria has always fought and stood for the unity of any Country and frowns at its division, one of the reasons it would never permit any form of secession.

The oil-rich South Sudan was immediately plunged into civil war shortly after it gained independence in 2011 as its first President Salva Kiir accused Vice President, Riek Machar, of planning a coup leading to the latter’s dismissal. This led to the creation of different rebel factions fighting against each other for the control of power and oil.

President Buhari was one of the members of the African Union High-Level Consultative Committee on South Sudan, which urged cease-fire and called for stabilization and peace agreement in the Country.

“Ethnicity and corruption are a lethal combination. You have to deal with them otherwise instability will continue,” he said after receiving a briefing from Machar on the current state of affairs in South Sudan.

Nigeria has also engaged on Peace-Keeping missions in Congo, Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone and Gambia as part of its continental duty of being the “Giant of Africa” in ensuring peace, stability and development across Africa.

Demonstrations on the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroon’s independence from Britain on October 1st last year resulted in the death of eight persons.

By the next day, the toll rose to 17 persons being killed by security forces.

Though the Country had arrested a President and Secretary General of two pressure groups in January 2017, many of the activists went underground until September, when another protest claimed at least five people.

At the time of the protest, President Biya was at the 72nd UN General Assembly, in New York, but he did not mention anything concerning the unrest in the Country.

Before the protest, the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), claimed responsibility of an explosion which rocked Bamenda Hospital Roundabout and attacks on a military base in Besongabang, in Manyu Division on September 8th and 9th respectively.

Nigeria, with an 8 years old insurgency on its hand, may be reluctant in playing a big brother with a stick.

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