OCTOBER 1 IS COMING: PREPARE FOR THE ANNIVERSARY, NOT FOR RUMOURS

Ambazonians should prepare intelligently. Verify every announcement. Distinguish an official directive from a social-media rumour. Protect vulnerable people. Reject unnecessary intimidation and violence. And remember that political discipline is itself part of nation-building. The anniversary is bigger than any poster, personality or faction. October 1 belongs to the people. Let it be approached with memory, maturity and purpose—not rumours.

By Carl Sanders, Guest Writer, The Independentist News Soho, London

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Buea – 25 August 2026 – As Ambazonians approach October 1, the political and historical significance of the coming anniversary is difficult to ignore. It will mark 65 years since Southern Cameroons attained independence through the 1961 constitutional arrangement, as well as roughly a decade since the teachers’ and lawyers’ protests of 2016 helped ignite the political crisis that eventually led to the Restoration Proclamation of October 1, 2017. For a people whose modern history has been shaped by competing interpretations of independence, union, constitutional change, marginalisation and self-determination, the anniversary deserves serious reflection rather than confusion.

Already, competing messages and posters are circulating concerning possible lockdowns and other forms of mobilisation in September and around October 1. Ambazonians should resist allowing unverified screenshots, anonymous graphics or disputed social-media messages to define the national conversation. An event of this importance deserves greater discipline. The responsible approach is to prepare for the anniversary while waiting for any future directives to come through identifiable, verifiable and accountable channels.

Verify Before You Act

If a lockdown, stay-at-home action or other form of civil mobilisation is eventually announced by a recognised Ambazonian authority or organisation, the public should first establish exactly what is being requested, who issued the directive, what dates and times apply, and what arrangements exist for essential services.

Parents should make decisions based on the actual security situation in their communities and the welfare of their children, not merely on messages forwarded through social media. Communities should give particular attention to children, the elderly, patients, persons with disabilities and others who may require assistance. Businesses, transport operators, healthcare workers and essential-service providers should likewise avoid making consequential decisions solely on the basis of unauthenticated posters or anonymous messages.

Most importantly, October 1 should never become an excuse for attacks on civilians, intimidation of ordinary people or destruction of community property. Whatever form commemoration takes, its purpose should remain connected to political memory, collective dignity and the aspirations associated with self-determination. A national anniversary should demonstrate political maturity and discipline—not chaos.

Ten Years of Lessons

The approaching anniversary also gives Ambazonians an opportunity to examine what the past decade has taught them. The teachers’ and lawyers’ protests of 2016 exposed grievances that had accumulated over many years. The Restoration Proclamation of October 1, 2017 opened another political chapter. The years that followed, however, also brought enormous suffering: lives lost, families displaced, communities disrupted, schools affected, economic activity damaged and political divisions deepened. That experience deserves reflection.

The question in 2026 should therefore extend beyond who can announce the most severe lockdown, attract the most attention on social media or claim the greatest political authority. The larger questions are more demanding: What kind of nation is being prepared? What institutions will protect its citizens? What democratic culture will govern it? How will disagreement be managed? What lessons have been learned from competing leadership structures, internal divisions and the human cost of the conflict?

A movement seeking national freedom should also demonstrate that it is capable of preparing for national responsibility. October 1 can therefore become more than a date of remembrance. It can become an annual test of political maturity: whether Ambazonians can remember the past, assess the present and think seriously about the future they intend to build.

The Anniversary Belongs to the People

Those who have suffered deserve remembrance. Those who have lost family members deserve dignity. Refugees and displaced families should not be forgotten. Neither should teachers, lawyers, students, workers, parents, business owners and ordinary citizens whose lives have been transformed by the conflict. October 1 should honour those experiences while renewing the commitment to a political future grounded in justice, accountability, democratic responsibility and human dignity.

Ambazonians should prepare intelligently. Verify every announcement. Distinguish an official directive from a social-media rumour. Protect vulnerable people. Reject unnecessary intimidation and violence. And remember that political discipline is itself part of nation-building. The anniversary is bigger than any poster, personality or faction. October 1 belongs to the people. Let it be approached with memory, maturity and purpose—not rumours.

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Carl Sanders, Guest Writer, The Independentist News Soho, London