By Ali Dan Ismael – Senior Investigative Correspondent, Sahel Region
Yaounde June 2025 – On June 21, 2025, Cameroonian media activist Mimi Mefo published a misleading article alleging that Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako, President of the Ambazonian government in exile is implicated in atrocities committed by separatist fighters in the conflict-ridden Anglophone regions of Cameroon. The article cites the Cameroon Database of Atrocities—an academic resource intended for impartial conflict documentation.
After an in-depth examination of the source material, and consultations with independent experts including investigator Cece Buckley, the Independentist news desk finds the article to be factually incorrect, and politically biased.
— The Flawed Premise: Misrepresenting the Atrocities Database
The Cameroon Database of Atrocities is a project spearheaded by international academic institutions to document war crimes in the Anglophone conflict. It relies on:
- Satellite imagery,
- Eyewitness reports,
- Verified videos and photos,
- NGO investigations.
Critically:
- The President of the Ambazonian government in exile Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako is not mentioned anywhere in the database.
- No incident in the database is attributed—directly or indirectly—to him or his office.
- The platform does not assign personal culpability to political leaders or civilians in exile.
Mimi Mefo’s use of the database to accuse Dr. Sako is a misuse of academic data for reasons unknown.
—A Deliberate Blind Spot: Shielding Known Regime Collaborators
In her article, Mefo conspicuously avoids mentioning the actual, verified collaborations between the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) and operatives of La République du Cameroun.
Investigative journalist Cece Buckley has documented the following:
- ADF operatives have publicly acknowledged cooperation with Emile Bamkoui, head of military intelligence in Yaoundé.
- Ellie Smith, a known mouthpiece of the regime, has been involved in media laundering operations alongside ADF-aligned actors.
- Meetings between ADF leadership and Cameroon’s intelligence network were held in Nigeria and South Africa, according to sources corroborated by Buckley’s independent field work.
These revelations point to a concerning pattern of proxy warfare and double-agentry, which Mimi Mefo completely omits in her portrayal of the separatist landscape.
— ⚖️ Legal and Political Context Ignored
Mefo’s article fails to account for internationally recognized rights that underpin Ambazonia’s struggle:
- UNGA Resolution 37/43 supports armed resistance against colonial occupation;
- Article 20(2) of the African Charter guarantees the right to resist subjugation;
- The Geneva Conventions protect the legal status of liberation movements in colonized territories.
Dr. Sako’s political role, rooted in peaceful advocacy, diplomacy, and governance from exile, is entirely consistent with these frameworks. Mefo’s framing falsely presents him as a commander of battlefield atrocities—a legally absurd and politically motivated distortion.
—🧠 From Journalism to Activism to Complicity?
Over the past three years, Mimi Mefo’s work has surprisingly shown increasing alignment with the security narratives of the Biya regime:
- She has received unusual access to DDR camps, elite gendarmerie units, and government-controlled zones.
- She routinely echoes regime talking points about “diaspora extremism,” despite lacking evidence.
- Her coverage never mentions documented collaborations between ADF and regime operatives, despite open-source and investigative confirmations.
In doing so, Mefo has not only abandoned objectivity—she has become an enabler of Cameroon’s disinformation war.
— 🧰 The truth that should be known by all is that.
- Dr. Sako does not command any militia. There is no command chain, no operational link, and no verified connection between him and actions on the ground.
- ADF’s collaboration with Yaoundé is documented and dangerous. It threatens the integrity of the liberation movement and the safety of civilians.
- It is unfortunate that MIMI Mefo’s article is propaganda, not journalism. It criminalizes political resistance while shielding embedded collaborators of a genocidal regime.
— 🛡️ CONCLUSION: THE STRUGGLE DESERVES FACTS, NOT FABRICATION
The Ambazonian people are fighting for survival. The path to justice and self-determination demands rigorous truth—not convenient lies. Mimi Mefo’s June 21 article is a misguided act of activism that does more to help Cameroon’s military elite than to serve justice or the public.
If facts matter, then the truth must be this:
Dr. Sako is not implicated in atrocities. The ADF is. And Mimi Mefo knows it, and did not need to parade a false narative.
Ali Dan Ismael
Senior Investigative Correspondent
The Independentist news
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