Tchiroma’s self-proclaimed victory is now being announced across major newsrooms and diplomatic circles worldwide. The media and diplomatic shield that Biya controlled in 1992 no longer exists. The same networks that once concealed electoral manipulation are now exposing the fragility of the regime’s control.
By The Independentist news desk
A Stolen Election in the Shadows
In 1992, Cameroon held its first real presidential election. Paul Biya, backed by France, used fraud to stay in power. At that time, there was no social media. Information moved slowly, and most intelligence was hidden inside diplomatic circles.
The American ambassador, Frances Cook, tried to expose the fraud. But France and Britain stayed silent, watching carefully for economic opportunities. They were more interested in banana, gas, and oil deals than in democracy.
Three years later, Britain rolled out the red carpet for Cameroon to join the Commonwealth. This gesture buried the hopes of millions of Ambazonians—people whose fathers had fought in World War II under the Commonwealth flag, buying planes to defeat Hitler’s Germany. Their loyalty was exchanged for economic contracts, not justice.
Truth Breaks Through the Wall
With the rise of Wikileaks and social media, the truth finally emerged. Secret diplomatic cables showed how France protected Biya, how Britain looked the other way, and how the U.S. recognized the fraud internally.
For the first time, Ambazonia’s story reached the world. What was once hidden was now clear:
“The king had no clothes.”
A Legal Case Buried but Not Forgotten
Ambazonia’s struggle is not a separatist movement. It is a decolonization issue that remains unresolved under international law.
In 1961, the United Nations passed Resolution 1608, calling for a treaty between the UK, Southern Cameroons, and La République du Cameroun. That treaty was never signed. Britain withdrew without finishing its job, leaving Ambazonia in legal limbo. Cameroon annexed Ambazonia illegally, without a registered treaty, violating the UN Charter.
In 2009, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights recognized that the people of Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) have a right to self-determination, even though it stopped short of declaring independence. Legally, Ambazonia is not breaking away. It is claiming the independence that was promised but never implemented.
The World Begins to Pay Attention
For years, France and Britain ignored Ambazonia’s claims. But the global environment has changed. The United States is increasingly concerned about human rights abuses and regional instability. The African Union and ACHPR have acknowledged Ambazonians as a distinct people with legal claims.
Within the United Nations, internal legal memos admit the flaws of the 1961 process, even if the organization stays officially neutral. The European Union is paying more attention because of diaspora advocacy and NGO pressure. The world is no longer completely silent.
Tchiroma’s Proclamation and the Collapse of the Shield
Tchiroma’s self-proclaimed victory is now being announced across major newsrooms and diplomatic circles worldwide. The media and diplomatic shield that Biya controlled in 1992 no longer exists. The same networks that once concealed electoral manipulation are now exposing the fragility of the regime’s control.
Like a long-suppressed infection returning to the surface, the electorate—once contained—is now more aware, defiant, and prepared to confront the root causes of the crisis. The regime’s information monopoly has broken down, along with the quiet confidence that silence could last forever.
Some in French Cameroon who believe that Tchiroma’s self-proclaimed victory will sweep Ambazonia’s quest for sovereignty under the carpet seem to reflect the same escapist leadership style that defined Biya’s era. For decades, Biya believed that by ignoring problems, they would disappear. But problems ignored do not vanish; they deepen—and eventually weaken the entire system.
The Ambazonian quest for sovereignty has grown over time. It has become too deeply rooted to be undone by political declarations. There is no turning back. The days of sweeping history under the carpet are over.
A Digital Turning Point
Today, Biya is old and weak. He cannot even address the nation. His supporters are confused, cut off from real information. But the information space has changed. Diaspora media and encrypted networks report events in real time. Social media bypasses state censorship.
Ambazonian lawyers are bringing the case to the African Commission, the International Criminal Court, and the UN Decolonization Committee. This is a new kind of battle: not just on the streets, but in international law.
History’s Warning
The story of Biya resembles that of Hitler after 1939. Hitler could have stopped after early victories in Poland and the Sudetenland but chose expansion and eventually fell.
Similarly, Biya could have negotiated fair coexistence decades ago. Instead, he chose annexation, repression, and control. History shows that every empire eventually collapses when it refuses to adapt.
An Unfinished Legal File
The Ambazonian issue is not a forgotten local rebellion. It is an unfinished legal file sitting in the archives of the United Nations. This is not only about Biya’s future. It is about whether the world will respect its own laws on self-determination and decolonization.
Ambazonians say clearly:
“We are not asking for independence from Cameroon. We are asking the world to enforce the independence it already granted.”
The silence of 1992 is gone. The time of reckoning has arrived.
The Independentist news desk
