BUEA, AMBAZONIA — The Interim Government of Ambazonia has issued a stern response to France following French Ambassador Thierry Marchand’s visit to Bamenda on February 27, where he reportedly stated that the eight-year-long conflict in the region is nearing its end.
In a statement released Thursday, signed by Chris Anu, leader of the Interim Government, Ambazonian leaders acknowledged France’s potential role in facilitating a resolution but criticized past peace efforts as ineffective due to what they described as “bad faith” from the Cameroonian government.
“History compels us to remind you that previous efforts—including the so-called Grand National Dialogue, the Swiss Initiative, and Canada’s mediation attempt—have all failed,” the statement read. “These failures did not happen by accident; they failed because the colonial regime in Yaoundé has consistently approached this conflict with deceit, bad faith, and a refusal to acknowledge the core issue: the absolute and irrevocable right of the people of Ambazonia to self-determination.”
The Grand National Dialogue, organized by the Cameroonian government in 2019, was dismissed by Ambazonian leaders as “an absurdity” because Yaoundé acted as both the mediator and the disputing party. The Ambazonian government warned that any initiative that does not include representatives of the independence movement at the core of mediation efforts is “nothing but an illusion” designed to prolong the bloodshed.
In a direct message to the French diplomat, the Ambazonian leadership stated, “Be unequivocally informed that without the full participation of those Cameroon describes as ‘separatists’ in any solution initiative, there will be no peace, no ceasefire, and no resolution to this conflict. The time for half measures is over.”
The statement urged France to use its diplomatic influence to ensure future mediation efforts meet internationally recognized standards and address the root causes of the conflict.
“Ambazonia is not a problem to be managed; it is a people whose inalienable right to freedom must be fully recognized. We expect France to be on the right side of history,” the statement concluded.
The Ambazonian war for independence erupted in 2017 following widespread protests against perceived marginalization by the central government in Yaoundé. The conflict has since led to thousands of deaths and widespread displacement.
France, a key ally of Cameroon, has been criticized for its muted response to the conflict, with activists accusing Paris of enabling the Biya regime through military and diplomatic support. While the French government has called for dialogue, the Ambazonian leadership remains skeptical of any initiative that does not fully recognize its independence demands.
