A Strategic Position That Could Endear Issa Tchiroma to the Ambazonia course.

The single act that could redefine Issa Tchiroma’s legacy is formal recognition of Ambazonia’s right to self-determination with a promise to withdraw Cameroon troops and recognize the pre-1961 borders— not as an act of charity or weakness, but of moral intelligence and political realism.

By The Independentist Diplomatic Desk

Introduction

History often rewards not the strongest, but the most perceptive — those who recognise when to turn the page. Today, Issa Tchiroma Bakary stands before such a moment. As the post-Biya state collapses under economic fatigue and moral exhaustion, Tchiroma faces a defining choice: to inherit a broken colonial structure or to build a new foundation rooted in truth, justice and mutual respect. That truth he started acknowledging by way of apology remains undeniable: Ambazonia is right — we are not a rebellion, but a people with rights, with a history, and a legal reality long denied.

The Moment of Truth

The disputed elections of October 2025 revealed what Ambazonians had long understood — that La République du Cameroun is a political construct held together by fear, not law. In this fragile interregnum, Issa Tchiroma stands at a crossroads. He can either follow Biya’s path of listening to a new set of elite seeking to replace Biya’s CPDM elite in denial and decay or mark the rebirth of a leadership through honesty, humility, and justice towards AMBAZONIA. Repeating Biya’s mistakes would entrench division. Boldly acknowledging the truth would make him the first Cameroonian leader to face history with courage.

Recognition as a Defining Act

The single act that could redefine Issa Tchiroma’s legacy is formal recognition of Ambazonia’s right to self-determination with a promise to withdraw Cameroon troops and recognize the pre-1961 borders— not as an act of charity or weakness, but of moral intelligence and political realism. For he who wants peace with his friends must embrace justice without in its entirety

Such recognition would:

Earn the respect of the thousands fighters in AMBAZONIA defending their rights in the trenches for 8 years against Biya’s genocide.

Affirm historical and legal truth — that no Treaty of Union was ever signed after UN Resolution 1608 (XV). And Cameroon did not conquer the Southern Cameroons in a war.

Create a foundation for strategic collaboration and coexistence — where both movements would work together now as partners, and live in future side by side as sovereign equals.

Restore credibility to Yaoundé’s leadership in a world that has since recognized Ambazonia’s right to self determination and now demands from the next leader honesty and integrity over inheritance.

A Lesson from History

In 1939, Adolf Hitler signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union, securing Germany’s eastern flank. Two years later, blinded by arrogance, he broke it and opened a second front — ensuring his own destruction. For Issa Tchiroma, the lesson is clear: he must not have to continue this useless war with Ambazonia.

By earning Ambazonian trust through a statement of recognition of our rights in international law, and our Status of foundational equality, he could transform a potential adversary into a strategic partner and stabilising subject of peace, one that strengthens regional security through justice, not subjugation. Ignoring the fact the two distinct and equal parties came together freely, and trying to impose any solution on the Southern Cameroons is the high handed approach that has failed to stop our determined people.

The Ambazonia State Army (ASA), disciplined and territorially structured, will work as a stabilising force for peace in the Southern Cameroons and ready to join forces with forces loyal to President Tchiroma. To attempt to co.opt Ambazonia as a subject and not as a partner is a Biya mindset. It would be to repeat Biya’s greatest error: the new government would be fighting on multiple fronts and loose in focus.

Bridging the Faith Divide

Issa Tchiroma, a devout Muslim from the north, has a unique opportunity to bridge the Muslim–Christian divide destabilising West and Central Africa. In Nigeria, continued violence between extremist groups and Christian communities has alarmed Washington, where Donald Trump’s renewed Africa policy prioritises religious freedom and accountability. In that environment, a Muslim president in Yaoundé extending peace and recognition to Ambazonia — a Christian-majority nation — would send a powerful signal that the Muslim faith can bring justice to the people of Southern Cameroons where corrupt politics failed.

By pursuing this commonsense solution, genuine reconciliation grounded in justice, Tchiroma would dispel Islamophobia, fears of complicity with extremism and present the new leader internationally as a genuine Muslim statesman, capable of fostering peace through truth and
shielding his administration from the suspicion of extraneous influences.

Beyond interfaith diplomacy lies a strategic advantage. By recognising Ambazonia, Issa Tchiroma would shield his diplomacy from the jihadist tide sweeping across the Sahel — from Mali and Niger to northern Nigeria now. He positions himself as a pragmatic leader.

The fragmented state Biya leaves behind is vulnerable to a Bulu-Beti Sessession movement, radicalisation and manipulation. A divided Cameroon army invites infiltration. The old Cameroon cannot be re-born through war but genuine dialogue and negotiation.

To heal these wounds Tchiroma would need to have the State of Southern Cameroons as partners not enemies at war. He would be seen as a regional security-conscious leader trusted by both the African Union and the West. To Washington, he would appear as a southern peace, justice and security partner.

Beyond Co-option: Lessons from Eritrea

History also cautions against false unity. When Eritrea was federated into Ethiopia under a “special administrative arrangement” in 1952, the world applauded the compromise. But Addis Ababa’s gradual erosion of that autonomy led directly to a 30-year war and eventual secession in 1993.

The Eritrea–Ethiopia precedent stands as a warning: no imposed federation or administrative co-option can replace genuine recognition of sovereignty. Ambazonians will not accept absorption into Yaoundé’s central administration under any name or structure — be it autonomy, federalism, or integration.

Any arrangement that ignores the betrayal of our 1961 EQUALITY only postpones conflict. Our people did not endure trenches, displacement, and genocide to return to colonial subjugation decided by Yaounde or Paris. Peace without justice is occupation; reconciliation without recognition is deception.

Ambazonia must never again be insulted by deconstructing us as Regions — it must stand as a nation of peace, not an object of control. The return to peace must be anchored in equality of sovereign decision, not symbolic inclusion which is another word for assimilation. The what and how must be decided by Southern Cameroons those fighting to defend their rights.

Recognition would:

Grant Tchiroma immediate acceptance in Buea. Earn international goodwill from the AU, ECOWAS, the Commonwealth, and the Vatican. Dismantle corrupt power networks that profit from war. Enable structured cooperation between two sovereign administrations — on trade, environment, migration, and regional peacekeeping. Protect both nations from the encroaching fires of extremism. Recognition is not capitulation; it is the architecture of peace built upon justice.

The Statesman’s Test

Issa Tchiroma’s long career has brought him here — to a point where survival must give way to statesmanship. If he recognises Ambazonia’s right to self-determination upon taking the oath of office, he will not be remembered as Biya’s caretaker, but as the president who corrected Africa’s longest colonial error. Peace will not come from disarming Ambazonians but from disarming injustice. Justice, and not dominance, is the path to reconciliation.

Conclusion

Issa Tchiroma stands at the riverbank of history. Behind him lies the swamp of denial; ahead flows the current of truth. If he dares to acknowledge Ambazonia not as a rebellious province but as a subject of peace and justice, he will bridge both the colonial divide and the faith divide — and shield his nation from the chaos now sweeping the Sahel.

Ambazonia will never again be a subject of empire. We seek peace, but not at the price of our dignity. We will coexist, but never under coercion. We extend a hand of cooperation — not subordination — as partners for justice, not subjects of convenience. The window for truth is open and the moment to act — is now.

Diplomatic Summary

Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s future and Cameroon’s stability may just depend on recognising Ambazonia’s right to self-determination. The article argues that genuine peace cannot emerge from federal illusions or administrative co-option, referencing the Eritrea–Ethiopia precedent as a warning.

It positions Ambazonia as a subject of peace and justice, not an annexed province, and asserts that disarmament without recognition is surrender without reconciliation. By taking this path, Tchiroma could bridge religious divides, shield his country from the Sahel jihad, and redefine himself as a pragmatic, moderate statesman for a new African century.

The Independentist Diplomatic Desk