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The Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) is a political organisation seeking the independence of the former
anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
Southern Cameroons
The Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British Empire, British League of Nations mandate territory of the British Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961, it has been part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Re ...
from the predominantly
francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
Republic of Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
(République du Cameroun). It is a non-violent organisation with the motto "The force of argument, not the argument of force." Because the SCNC advocates secession from Cameroon, it has been declared an illegal organisation by the government of
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. . Security forces regularly interrupt SCNC meetings, arresting members and typically detaining them for several days before release.
Creation
After achieving independence in the 1960s, Cameroon took territorial control over the area of
British Cameroons
British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of N ...
and adopted a
federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
structure giving some autonomy to the former British area. In 1972 President Ahmdou Ahidjo through a fraudulent referendum terminated the federal system, in favour of a unitary state. When Biya came to power in 1982, he continued centralising power and created a single-party state. In 1993, the All Anglophone Conference formed pushing for a return to the autonomy provided to the Southern Cameroons under the federal system.
In 1994, the
Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region, Cameroon, Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian ca ...
Declaration of large members of the AAC decided to work toward secession rather than autonomy.
This resulted the next year in the creation of the Southern Cameroon People's Conference (SCPC) formed as an umbrella organisation bringing together student, trade organisations, and political organisations committed to independence, rather than a return to autonomy. The Southern Cameroons National Council was the elected body in charge of organising SCPC efforts with the initial chairman being Sam Ekontang Elad.
[
]
1990s
In 1995, the SCNC rose to political prominence with a host of efforts to push for secession of the anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
Southern Cameroons
The Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British Empire, British League of Nations mandate territory of the British Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961, it has been part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Re ...
from the country of Cameroon. The government of Cameroon was finishing its application to join the Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
and the SCNC organised a number of publicity activities to oppose this inclusion.[ In August 1995, the SCNC petitioned the UN to intervene and mediate between them and the government of Cameroon warning that a lack of intervention would create "another Somalia".][ In October 1995, the SCNC publicised a plan schedule of work for an eventual declaration of independence. These political activities resulted in significant disruption by police and security forces.][
In 1996, Chair Elad resigned and was replaced by Henry Fossung.][ Activities were routinely disrupted by police and plans for independence were scuttled consistently.][ March 1997 produced the arrest of 200 supporters for a supposed attack on security forces in ]Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region, Cameroon, Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian ca ...
. In the trials for the 200, Amnesty International and the SCNC found substantive evidence of admissions through torture and force.[ The raid and trial resulted in a shutdown of SCNC activities and Fossung taking a low profile.][ In response to this, in April 1998 a small faction elected Esoka Ndoki Mukete, a high-ranking member of the Social Democratic Front, as the new chair of the SCNC. The decision was opposed by Fossung and the powerful SCNC-North America and the result was paralysis of the organisation.][
The divisive council remained over much of 1998 and early 1999 until October 1999 when the government found multiple members guilty in the 1997 trial. Although the faction led by Fossung opposed a unilateral declaration of independence, the faction led by Mukete became more assertive. While Mukete was officially travelling abroad, a small group took over Radio Buea and proclaimed the establishment of Southern Cameroons as an independent and legal political force.][ Mukete's role in the SCNC was reduced and multiple members, including the leadership were arrested.][
In 2000, the SCNC resolved the leadership dispute by electing Frederick Ebong Alobwede the new chairman and considered him the first President of the Southern Cameroons.
]
2001−present
Repression of the group increased significantly in 2001 when the organisation was declared illegal and clashes with police at a demonstration resulted in multiple deaths.[ As a result, multiple international offices and branches of the SCNC have opened and engaged in political activities. In 2001, a group of exile-SCNC-members founded a so-called "South Cameroon's Embassy" in the German town of ]Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. The group boycotted the 2002 municipal elections in Cameroon and the 2004 presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
.[ The government has continued with "arbitrary and unlawful" detention of members, often with mass arrests at peaceful gatherings.
In 2006, a faction formally declared the ]Republic of Ambazonia
Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost ...
and a military wing known as the Southern Cameroon Peoples Organization (SCAPO) begun activity. In 2007, this group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Cameroonian military in Bakassi
Bakassi is a peninsula on the Gulf of Guinea. It lies between the Cross River estuary, near the city of Calabar and the Rio del Ray estuary on the east. It is governed by Cameroon, following the transfer of sovereignty from neighbouring Niger ...
.[
International recognition remained limited although the group became part of the ]Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, or simply UNPO is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalised nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 in The Ha ...
in 2006. In 2009, the African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
(AU), with support from Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
, began considering efforts regarding the SCNC call for independence. However, in late 2009, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) is a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective (peoples') rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Charter ...
rejected the SCNC's petition and slowed the efforts by the group in the AU.[
The 2012 ]Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
Report on Cameroon found that the security forces continue to disrupt SCNC activities. In February 2011, Chief Ayamba Ette Otun was arrested while travelling through the country. He was released soon afterwards without charge. In October 2011, a meeting in Buea
Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The city is located in Fako Division, on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, and has a population of 300,000 (at the 2013 Census). It has two Government Hotels, the Mountain Hotel and P ...
was disrupted and 50 members were arrested and released without charge days later.
In June 2014, longtime SCNC Chairman Chief Ayamba Ette Otun died aged 91; the current Chairman is Dr. Peter Forchu Chesami
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
.
On 31 March 2019, the SCNC and several Ambazonian movements agreed to create the Southern Cameroons Liberation Council
The Southern Cameroons Liberation Council (SCLC) is an Ambazonian umbrella movement, aiming to unite all Anglophone groups on a common front. As of April 2019, it consists of seven movements.
Foundation
The SCLC was established at the All South ...
, a united front consisting of both separatists and federalists.Anglophone Struggle Takes Another Kink, Separatists, Federalists Bury Hatchet, Create Southern Cameroons Liberation Council
The National Times, 1 April 2019. Accessed 1 April 2019.
References
External links
Southern Cameroons National Council Parent Website for All SCNC Branches World Wide
Southern Cameroons National Council Official Website
Southern Cameroon National Council UK
{{authority control
1995 establishments in Cameroon
Banned secessionist parties
Independence movements
Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Organizations established in 1995
Political parties in Cameroon
Secessionist organizations
Separatism in Cameroon
Southern Cameroons
Politics of Ambazonia
Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia)