These are not tears of conviction. They are the tears of a model under pressure. They are the reflex of those who see change coming and are unsure where they will stand when it arrives. But the people are no longer confused. We recognize the shift. We understand the motive. And we are no longer easily persuaded by late discoveries of truth. History is not written by those who arrive when it is safe.
By Timothy Enongene
Guest Editor-in-Chief, The Independentistnews
6 April 2026
Let us speak plainly. The sudden “outrage” splashed across the pages of The Guardian Post—that “Anglophones have been cheated again”—is not courage. It is not awakening. It is not truth finally finding its voice. It is performance.
It is the sound of a media house that has fed for years on silence, distortion, and calculated neutrality—now scrambling to reposition itself as the tide turns.
The Hypocrisy of Timing
Where was this voice when villages were emptied?
Where was this indignation when young men and women were hunted, displaced, or silenced? .Where was The Guardian Post when the very foundation of the Ambazonian struggle was being mocked, diluted, and repackaged as inconvenience rather than injustice?
For years, this paper did not merely report events—it helped shape a narrative designed to pacify, confuse, and contain. It dressed structural injustice in polite language and called it “national unity.” It urged compliance within a system that has never treated Southern Cameroons as an equal partner.
Now, suddenly, it discovers the word “cheated.” Who exactly is being fooled? Journalism or Business Strategy? Let us not pretend. This is not moral clarity. This is market adjustment. “Anglophone marginalisation” now sells. Outrage now attracts readership. Pain has become profitable.
What we are witnessing is not journalism driven by conviction—it is journalism driven by calculation. A pivot, not a principle. The same platform that once softened the edges of oppression now amplifies it—because it can no longer be ignored, and because ignoring it no longer pays.
The Attempt to Rebrand
Do not misunderstand this moment. This is not solidarity. It is self-preservation. There is an emerging awareness—both locally and internationally—that history is moving, and it is not moving in favour of those who sat comfortably between truth and convenience.
Now, faced with that reality, some seek to rewrite their role. To appear as if they stood where they never stood. To speak as if they always understood what they once dismissed. But credibility is not built in headlines. It is built in consistency. And consistency cannot be manufactured overnight.
To the Youth: Stay Clear-Eyed
To the youths who have carried the weight of this struggle—do not be distracted. A newspaper that questioned your resolve yesterday cannot suddenly become the guardian of your future today. A platform that diluted your voice cannot now claim to define it. Read, yes. Listen, yes. But do not surrender your judgment. Not every loud voice is a trustworthy one.
The Reality
This is the uncomfortable truth: Some have built careers navigating both sides—benefiting from the system while cautiously echoing the frustrations it creates. That space is shrinking. The era of standing on the fence while collecting from both sides is coming to an end.
The Verdict
These are not tears of conviction. They are the tears of a model under pressure. They are the reflex of those who see change coming and are unsure where they will stand when it arrives. But the people are no longer confused. We recognize the shift. We understand the motive. And we are no longer easily persuaded by late discoveries of truth. History is not written by those who arrive when it is safe. And no headline—no matter how bold—can rewrite the role that was played when it mattered most.
Timothy Enongene
Guest Editor-in-Chief, The Independentistnews
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