A document naming over 28 “Ambazonia” Military Generals has objected President Biya’s call for dialogue in his September 10, 2019 speech.
In the communique, the Ambazonia military Forces’ Council of Generals (AMF High Command) said they will intensify the struggle and called on the citizens in the Anglophone regions to be vigilant.
Their response was to the head of state, President Paul Biya, who in his Tuesday speech to the nation called for a national dialogue.
They asked the President to withdraw the military from the North West and South West regions and also advocated for the release of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and 9 others arrested in Nigeria but sentenced to life imprisonment in Cameroon.
In the head of state’s rare address, he announced the holding of an all inclusive national dialogue including civil society organisations, the diaspora and armed groups.
The announcement for dialogue was received with mixed feelings; while it was welcomed by many and seen as a genuine step, others think it is an attempt timed to avoid UN sanctions, considering that the UN will be deliberating on the anglophone crisis this September and Biya and his government has been amply put on notice.
Political parties like the SDF have submitted propositions on the terms and conditions for dialogue to be held.
The opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), on Friday called for a “general amnesty” for detainees linked to the separatist crisis and a “ceasefire” before participating in the “grand national dialogue” proposed by Biya.
During a meeting with the prime minister, Dion Ngute who is leading the dialogue, the party transmitted “preliminary conditions for (its) participation in this long-awaited inclusive national dialogue”.
It is yet unclear the venue of the dialogue and if there will be a third party to mediate talks.
Since November 2016, when the government violently cracked down on peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers in the Anglophone regions, the country has faced instability leading to the arrest and detention of many including journalists.
More than 2,000 people have been killed while over 500,000 have been displaced as the English-speaking separatists demand independence to a state they named “Ambazonia”.
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