Federalism or Independence? The SDF’s Dead End and the Ambazonian Question

The SDF’s failure to secure federalism proves a point. The 1993 Bamenda All Anglophone Conference demanded it. The 1994 Buea Conference reaffirmed it. The 1996 Constitution ignored it. Federalism is a no go area in LRC.

By The Independentist editorial desk

The Social Democratic Front (SDF), born in Bamenda in 1990, was once a force that shook Cameroon’s political establishment. It broke the CPDM’s one-party monopoly and inspired millions across the country with a message of change, democracy, and federalism. For many Francophones, federalism remains a legitimate aspiration — a way to decentralise power, share resources more fairly, and protect cultural diversity within Cameroon.

But for Southern Cameroons, federalism is no longer an option. Independence is not a matter of preference; it is a matter of history, law, and survival. Britain never transferred sovereignty of Southern Cameroons to La République du Cameroun. UN Resolution 1608 (XV) required a treaty of union — none was signed. What happened in 1961 was not federation but annexation. From this standpoint, any federal project that keeps Southern Cameroons inside Cameroon is built on a legal falsehood.

The SDF’s failure to secure federalism proves the point. The 1993 Bamenda All Anglophone Conference demanded it. The 1994 Buea Conference reaffirmed it. The 1996 Constitution ignored it. Year after year, the SDF contested elections, lending credibility to a dictatorship while burying the Anglophone cause in parliamentary debates that led nowhere. Federalism was never granted, because it was never intended.

The party’s decline was sealed when France moved against Fru Ndi. While he remained in Bamenda, he was both symbol and threat: rooted in Anglophone soil, connected to Nigeria, and costly to monitor. France feared his influence, so they lured him to Yaoundé with promises of diplomacy and a presidential run. That was the trap. Once in Yaoundé, he was locked in, isolated, and destroyed. The SDF’s political death occurred that day, long before Fru Ndi’s physical passing. Both were buried on the same day.

Today, the SDF is a toothless bull. It no longer threatens the CPDM. Under Joshua Osih — a Francophone from the South Province, effectively an “11th province citizen” — the SDF’s identity as the voice of Anglophone grievances has been erased. Since Fru Ndi’s death, how many rallies has Osih organised that carried weight? None. The silence speaks for itself.

For Francophones who want reform within Cameroon, federalism may still be a valid demand. But Ambazonians must be clear: federalism is not for Southern Cameroons. Our case is different — it is not about reforming unity but ending occupation. The massacres, the scorched villages, the mass displacement since 2016 — these are not problems that a Vice Presidency or symbolic federalism can fix.

Ambazonia’s path is not revival of the SDF or resuscitation of a dead ideology. It is the completion of decolonisation and the restoration of sovereignty. Federalism belongs to the politics of Cameroon. Independence belongs to the future of Ambazonia.

The Independentist editorial desk