DION NGUTE’S DIALOGUE NARRATIVE: AMBAZONIA AND LRC ARE NOT TWO COMMUNITIES FIGHTING

The road to a lasting settlement begins when the relevant parties confront the central issue. Ambazonians must remain clear about what is being negotiated, who has the authority to negotiate, and whether the process genuinely addresses the political question at the heart of the conflict.

By Lester Maddox
Guest Contributor, Independentist News
Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California

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The conflict facing Ambazonia is not a quarrel between neighbouring communities that can be resolved simply by bringing people together for reconciliation. It is a political and military confrontation between La République du Cameroun (LRC) and the Ambazonian independence movement. Any initiative that overlooks this distinction risks misrepresenting the conflict and sidestepping the central question: sovereignty.

When Dion Ngute and the Yaoundé establishment speak of dialogue, three essential questions remain: Who is negotiating with whom? Under what mandate? And to resolve what dispute? Ambazonia and LRC cannot be reduced to two communities that have fallen out with each other.

From the Ambazonian independence perspective, the confrontation concerns competing political authorities, armed forces, and claims to sovereignty—not a misunderstanding between neighbours. Community grievances may exist, and local reconciliation may have value. But neither explains nor resolves the underlying political dispute.

The confrontation is between the LRC government and the Ambazonian independence project. A credible settlement therefore requires independently mediated negotiations involving the relevant political representatives, with the status of Ambazonia at the centre of the discussion.

The Major National Dialogue organised by Yaoundé in 2019 did not settle that question. A process whose framework is controlled by one party cannot, merely by being called a dialogue, become a negotiated settlement between the parties to a conflict. Calling for dialogue is easy. Establishing a credible process that addresses the actual dispute is the real test.

Ambazonians must therefore examine any narrative that obscures the political character of the conflict. The language of reconciliation must not become a substitute for addressing sovereignty. Nor should community-level engagement be presented as equivalent to a political settlement.

There is a familiar lesson in politics: those seeking to control a narrative may speak loudly to convince their supporters that events are unfolding in their favour. But noise is not evidence, repetition is not proof, and a declaration of victory does not establish an outcome. Ambazonians should judge every claim by verifiable facts, not by the volume or confidence with which it is delivered.

The October 1, 2026, Independence Day commemorations reflected the continuing importance of the independence aspiration to participating Ambazonians. They provide a reason to take stock, strengthen civic participation, deepen international advocacy, and sustain institutional discipline. They do not justify complacency or the assumption that victory is automatic.

Ambazonians must keep their eyes on the destination, their minds on the facts, and their institutions focused on the objective. A call for dialogue is not a settlement. A narrative about the conflict is not a resolution of it. Every proposed process must therefore face a clear test: does it address the political dispute between LRC and Ambazonia, or merely seek to manage its consequences?

The road to a lasting settlement begins when the relevant parties confront the central issue. Ambazonians must remain clear about what is being negotiated, who has the authority to negotiate, and whether the process genuinely addresses the political question at the heart of the conflict.

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Get books on Ambazonia’s productive Sovereignty and statecraft By Martin Mungwa on Amazon

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LESTER MADDOX
Contributor
The Independentist News Oakland, California