Abdulkarim Ali, serving a life jail sentence inYaounde’s central prison
Re: OPINION: OPEN LETTER TO THE AMBAZONIAN FIGHTERS OF THE NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST: DON’T LET PAUL BIYA EVEN STEAL YOUR PAIN … By BORIS BERTOLT
By Abdulkarim Ali,
July 9, 2025.
Dear Mr. Boris Bertolt,
The responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the political opposition leaders and their supporters.
We have received and deliberated upon your “open letter.” While we acknowledge your perceived concern for the situation in our homeland, your characterization of the issues, and indeed your address, reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of our struggle and its roots.
You speak of “oppression,” a term we find insufficient and misleading. Our fight is not merely against oppression within a shared nation. It is a righteous struggle against annexation. From the very beginning, La Republique du Cameroun, led by Yaoundé, swallowed our territory, Southern Cameroons, through deceit and brute force.
This is not a domestic grievance to be addressed by a change of guard in your capital; it is a matter of self-determination against an illegal occupation.
Furthermore, you speak of a shared national desire for change. With all due respect, where was this “wind of revolt” when our people were being massacred, our villages burned, and our children denied education for years?
Where was the “suffrage of love” from your people when our cries for justice were met with deafening silence or, worse, complicity in our subjugation? For too long, the people of La Republique du Cameroun have shown insufficient love, understanding, or genuine solidarity towards us.
By God, we’d never let our government treat others the way we’ve been treated by yours – I guarantee it. So the onus is on you people, not just to talk, but to act.
The suffering you now feel under Biya is a fraction of the agony our people have endured since 1961.
You address, the “fighters” directly, urging them to make concessions for an electoral process. May i remind you, Mr. Bertolt, that those are not a leaderless mob acting out of mere “revolt or despair.” They are organized, disciplined, and operate under the clear directives of legitimate leadership – the Interim Government, the AGOVC, APLM, SCNC, ROA etc.
Your appeals should, therefore, be directed to them, as they are the recognized representatives of our people’s political will and the architects of Southern Cameroons liberation strategy. To bypass them is to disrespect the very structure and purpose of our unified resistance.
Finally, you call for a truce to allow your elections to proceed, promising a “true dialogue” if Biya leaves. This is putting the cart before the horse. If the political opposition leaders and their followers in your country truly seek to demonstrate good faith and a genuine commitment to justice, their first act should be to vigorously and incessantly protest in demand of an immediate, unconditional ceasefire from the Camerounian military and the unconditional release of all our people – our leaders, our youths, and all political prisoners unjustly held in your dungeons.
Until we see tangible proof of your collective commitment to our basic human rights and freedom, your calls for the people of Southern Cameroons to participate in an electoral process designed to legitimize our oppressors ring hollow.
Our freedom is non-negotiable.
Sincerely.
Abdulkarim Ali,
