By unilaterally abolishing federalism, Yaoundé destroyed the very basis of the union. A treaty that never existed could not be amended. A minority state whose voice was silenced could not be bound.
By The Independentist Political Desk
Part Two of the Constitutional Truth Series
In 1961, the world believed a new federation had been formed between two equal peoples: East Cameroon and West Cameroon. The arrangement was supposed to guarantee autonomy, dignity, and coexistence. Federalism was not optional. It was the legal condition for unity. But that promise was destroyed in 1972. Not by dialogue. Not by negotiation. Not by a lawful process between equals. It was destroyed by a decree packaged as democracy.
The Referendum With a Pre-Decided Outcome
President Ahmadou Ahidjo announced a nationwide referendum asking citizens if they supported replacing the Federal Republic with a single centralised state called the United Republic of Cameroon. West Cameroonians immediately raised legal and constitutional objections.
The 1961 Federal Constitution prohibited any attempt to remove the federal structure without the separate and voluntary consent of each state legislature. West Cameroon had to agree. Its representatives had to approve. The federation could only exist through equality, and could only be revised through equality. Ahidjo ignored the constitution. He ignored the people of West Cameroon. He ignored the rights of the territory that made the union possible.
Majority Rule Used as a Weapon
East Cameroon had four times the population of West Cameroon. What was presented as a national vote was in reality a numbers game designed to overpower a smaller partner. The result was predictable and predetermined. East Cameroon’s votes decided the fate of West Cameroon. A union that required consent was replaced by a command structure. A federation that required two equal hands was reduced to one fist.
The Legal Consequence: Unlawful Annexation
By unilaterally abolishing federalism, Yaoundé destroyed the very basis of the union. A treaty that never existed could not be amended. A minority state whose voice was silenced could not be bound.
This violated international law and the fundamental principles that govern unions between formerly distinct territories. It violated the United Nations requirement for a clear and binding treaty of union. It violated the rights of a people whose sovereignty had never been extinguished. From that moment onward, Ambazonia was no longer a state in a federation. It was a conquered land under centralized control.
Immediate Effects on Ambazonia
Following the 1972 coup, West Cameroon, lost its government, lost its parliament, lost its legal protections, lost its control over its schools and courts, lost the safeguards that preserved its freedoms. French civil law was forcefully spread into common law areas. French became the language of state power. Resources were extracted without accountability. Representation disappeared except on paper. A people who entered a political union as equals were downgraded into subjects.
The Long Road to Resistance
Ambazonian leaders protested peacefully for decades. Their petitions were ignored. Their warnings went unanswered. Their constitutional arguments were dismissed without debate. As repression deepened and identity was attacked, the struggle shifted from negotiation to survival.
The present conflict did not arise from extremism or adventurism. It is the predictable outcome of a constitutional collapse initiated by the state that claims authority.
Why This Truth Matters Today
The international community must understand the core issue. This is not a separatist movement. It is a restoration of legality. It is a people reclaiming the sovereignty that was stolen from them by force disguised as law.
West Cameroon did not walk away from unity.
Unity was abolished from above. Ambazonia is defending what the constitution once promised and what international law still demands. History delivered the verdict in 1972 Cameroon declared that equality was no longer necessary. Ambazonia declares today that freedom still is.
The Independentist Political Desk
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