“War on the Tarmac”: How Paul Biya Declared War Without Parliamentary Approval—And Now away Runs from Accountability

Mr.Biya as he decleared war on the people of Ambazonia

By Mankah Rosa Parks

Yaounde- June 2025. On the dusty tarmac of the Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport in 2017, a frail yet defiant Paul Biya, President of La République du Cameroun (LRC), made a chilling pronouncement that would define the future of millions: “We will declare war on those who want secession.” With no parliamentary session, no national consultation, and no constitutional debate, a war of extermination was launched against the people of the former British Southern Cameroons—now known globally as Ambazonia.

It was a moment that would echo through history.

A War Declared Like a Dictator, Not a Democrat
Unlike lawful democracies where military action requires parliamentary debate or cabinet consensus, Biya—a man who had not stepped foot in the conflict region for decades—used the airport runway as his battlefield pulpit. Surrounded by military brass, he announced what was essentially a scorched-earth policy to crush the aspirations of English-speaking Cameroonians demanding autonomy, justice, and recognition of their colonial-era identity.

That declaration marked the unofficial beginning of the bloodiest internal conflict in Cameroon’s modern history. Tens of thousands of lives have since been lost, entire communities displaced, and villages wiped off the map. But there was no official Act of War passed in Yaoundé. No referendum. No legislative scrutiny. Just Biya’s word—and the gun.

Today, He Hides from His Own Words
Fast forward to 2025, Paul Biya, now 93, suffering from advanced dementia and often unable to recognize his own ministers, is kept hidden from the public eye. His regime, however, still attempts to suppress any discussion of that infamous moment on the tarmac. The war continues, but the man who started it has withdrawn into silence—leaving behind a trail of blood and international shame.

Government spokesmen now speak in legal riddles and ambiguous denials, claiming the conflict is a mere “security operation.” But the video footage doesn’t lie. The world saw Biya declare war without lawful justification, without international mediation, and with no regard for the Geneva Conventions on internal conflicts.

The Constitutional Breach That Cannot Be Ignored
According to the 1996 Constitution of La République du Cameroun, war declarations must be debated and authorized by Parliament. Yet, no such debate ever occurred. No record exists of a formal war declaration. What we have instead is a unilateral, unconstitutional act of aggression masquerading as a national policy—a clear breach of both domestic and international law.

The video, now widely circulated on social media, including this Facebook clip, is being used by legal experts and international observers as critical evidence in the case for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Ambazonian people.

Time for Consequences
Biya’s impunity cannot outlive his regime. The international community must now draw the necessary conclusions:

First, that the war on Ambazonia was never legal or justified under Cameroon’s laws.

Second, that the use of military force without parliamentary approval was a violation of constitutional order and international norms.

Third, that Biya and his top generals bear individual and collective responsibility for crimes committed under the guise of preserving national unity.

The Tarmac Is Now a Crime Scene

In the end, the Yaoundé airport tarmac—once a symbol of departure and arrival—has become a symbol of Biya’s lawless aggression. It is where war was declared without a shred of democratic process. It is where a dictator unilaterally sentenced millions to suffering. It is where Ambazonia’s case for justice finds its clearest, most visual proof.

And until justice is served, that video will continue to haunt the legacy of Paul Biya—and stand as a warning to all nations that dictatorship begins where law ends.

Mankah Rosa Parks