Brief
Q&A: The evolution of Ambazonian separatist groups in Anglophone Cameroon
Discussion on Anglophone separatist groups in Cameroon, illicit economies, and violence in 2024.
Q&A with
Aaron A. Aambo, Dr. Eleanor Beevor, Dr. Manu Lekunze & Dr. Ladd Serwat
Conflict Incident Monitor at Reach Out Cameroon, Senior Analyst at GI-TOC, International Security Analyst at the University of Aberdeen and Africa Regional Specialist at ACLED
Anglophone armed separatist groups in Cameroon are deeply engaged in illicit activities to finance their rebellion, along with the rising use of violence against civilians. In the first six months of 2024, the Northwest region is the second most dangerous administrative region for civilians in Africa, only surpassed by al-Jazirah state in central Sudan. The groups’ engagement with illicit economies includes the extensive use of abductions for ransom — one of the many practices that put civilians at risk. In this Q&A, based on our recent webinar, ACLED’s Africa Regional Specialist Dr. Ladd Serwat, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s Senior Analyst in the West Africa Observatory Dr. Eleanor Beevor, Dr. Manu Lekunze, Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, and Aaron A. Aambo, Conflict Incident Monitor at Reach Out Cameroon discuss the operations and organization of Ambazonian separatist groups in the Anglophone region of Cameroon.
How did the violence in the Anglophone regions begin, and how does it affect civilians?
Aaron A. Ambo: We are facing a sociopolitical crisis turned armed insurgency that has been happening since 2016 but kicked off actively on 1 October 2017 with the unilateral declaration of the independence of Ambazonia, formerly British Southern Cameroons...
In May 2022, there was a protest in some villages, especially in Oku, against the separate fighters...
How has support for the separatist cause evolved, and how has it impacted its operations?
Eleanor Beevor: For those diaspora members who wanted to support the Anglophone cause, whichever way they may have interpreted that, sending money and fundraising was one of the few ways that they felt able to engage in this...
It didn’t take very long for Cameroonian security services to detect that these transfers were happening through regular money transfer services...
Where are most of the separatists’ weapons coming from?
Eleanor Beevor: The most common source of arms for separatists has been Nigeria...</span>
What does the proliferation and fragmentation of these groups, as indicated in the report, tell us about violence in the Anglophone region and prospects for resolution of the conflict?
Ladd Serwat: While there are still separatist groups that promote a unified Anglophone Cameroon and independence...
This Q&A is based on ACLED’s webinar briefing on Anglophone separatists in Cameroon, which was held on 10 September 2024 and can be watched in full on ACLED’s YouTube channel. The text has been edited for length and clarity.
