The slogan of “one and indivisible Cameroon” has lost its moral force. It stands as a relic of an era when unity could be imposed by decree. The reality is that Ambazonia has charted its own course — one of painful struggle but growing self-determination.
By The Independentist News Desk
Unity and Indivisibility as a Slogan
For decades, Cameroon’s ruling elite have relied on the mantra of a “united and indivisible republic” to conceal deep cracks in the national fabric. Behind the loudspeakers and peace campaigns lies a country divided by mistrust, mismanagement, and marginalization — realities that have culminated in the ongoing Ambazonian war of independence.
Across the streets, administrators chant slogans of “unity” through megaphones and state media. Yet, beneath this rhetoric, communities remain alienated, economies neglected, and identities suppressed. The notion of unity, in the context of Yaoundé’s governance, has become less a reality and more a political sedative meant to lull an increasingly frustrated population into silence.
President Paul Biya himself admitted during the 2019 Paris Peace Forum that efforts to assimilate the former British Southern Cameroons — today’s Ambazonia — had “failed.” That rare admission exposed the enduring paradox at the heart of Cameroon’s statehood.
Ambazonia: A Distinct Nation in Motion
The territory once known as British Southern Cameroons has, since 1 October 2017, reclaimed its identity as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia — a people, a government, and a cause rooted in international law and decolonization principles. Its boundaries are marked by internationally recognized demarcations; its citizens have asserted self-rule through persistent resistance and civil disobedience.
For more than eight years, the conflict has left schools closed, towns locked down, and streets deserted every Monday. “Ghost towns” have become the living symbols of defiance — not chaos, but civic protest. The population’s refusal to participate in institutions or events tied to the Republic of Cameroon is evidence of an emerging national consciousness distinct from Yaoundé’s authority.
The boycott of the 12 October 2025 presidential elections in La République du Cameroun was near total across Ambazonia. Even opposition leaders from Yaoundé admitted to seeking “permission and protection” before venturing into the territory — a symbolic act that said more than any speech could: Ambazonia is a different country.
When one candidate tried to rally a crowd by singing the Cameroonian anthem, the crowd politely refused. Their message was simple: “We are a different people.”
Two Peoples, Two Realities
The contrast between life in Ambazonia and La République du Cameroun could not be sharper.
For nearly nine years, war has raged in the former British territory — children have missed entire school cycles, entire towns have been militarized, yet the National Assembly in Yaoundé remains silent. The regime governs as though the crisis were happening in another world.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mungo, political unrest has erupted over alleged electoral fraud. Protesters in Douala and Yaoundé now echo slogans of resistance once confined to Ambazonia — calling for ghost towns and civic disobedience. Yet in Ambazonia itself, there is calm determination, not confusion. It is a striking reminder that the two peoples now live under separate realities and separate administrations.
Conclusion: The Slogan and the Reality
The slogan of “one and indivisible Cameroon” has lost its moral force. It stands as a relic of an era when unity could be imposed by decree. The reality is that Ambazonia has charted its own course — one of painful struggle but growing self-determination.
Through its government-in-exile, diplomatic efforts, and international advocacy, the Ambazonian people have made their message clear: the former UN Trust Territory of the British Southern Cameroons is reclaiming its sovereignty, not out of hate or secessionist ambition, but from the necessity of historical justice.
The paradox remains: a state that insists on unity even as its actions continually divide it.
— The Independentist News Desk
