SUMMARY
The armed conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone region is a conflict over territory between the Cameroonian government and the Ambazonia insurgents. The violent struggle began in September 2017 after protests seeking increased autonomy for the Anglophone region of Cameroon were brutally suppressed by the country’s security forces. This region (comprised of two administrative divisions) is dubbed Ambazonia by the separatists, but is not recognized as a sovereign state by any country in the international community.
In 2025, the level of violence between the Cameroonian government and Ambazonian insurgents continued to decrease compared to previous years. During the year, the Ambazonian insurgents continued to target police stations, military check-points and elected officials, as well as relied heavily on their use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which claimed both soldiers’ and civilian lives. At the same time, the Government targeted the group’s camps and hideouts. The conflict remained centered in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.
IN DEPTH
Background (-2016)
The armed conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone region has its roots in the unification of the Francophone and Anglophone regions of modern-day Cameroon upon independence from colonial rule. After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, France and Great Britain took over administration of the former German colony Kamerun and divided it amongst them. The territories were heavily influenced by their respective colonial power, which resulted in stark differences in terms of language, the application of justice and political traditions.
On 1 January 1960, the Francophone territory gained independence from France and became the Republic of Cameroon. On 11 February 1961, a referendum was held in the Anglophone British territory, which was comprised of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. As a result of the referendum, Northern Cameroons elected to join Nigeria while Southern Cameroons elected to join the Republic of Cameroon. It was believed that reunification with Francophone Cameroon would allow Southern Cameroons to maintain a large degree of autonomy. This was not the case and the constitution drafted by Francophone Cameroon offered the Anglophone region very limited autonomy. Representatives of Southern Cameroons, given their weak bargaining position, were forced to accept. In October 1961, the reunification of Francophone Cameroon and Anglophone Southern Cameroons was complete, resulting in the creation of the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
At the completion of the reunification, the executive branch of the new republic quickly began back-tracking the concessions awarded the Anglophone region in favor of Francophone supremacy. Throughout the following decade, the supposed federal state become more centralized and constitutional rights of Anglophones were amended. In 1972, the federal system was abolished entirely and the federal state was replaced with the single-party United Republic of Cameroon. Upon his ascension to executive office in 1982, Paul Biya further centralized power. The national flag with two stars representing Francophones and Anglophones was swapped for a flag with a single star and the official name was reverted to the former French territory’s name: the Republic of Cameroon.
In the 1990s, the multi-party system was restored and dissent among Anglophones was primarily voiced through democratic institutions. Dissent carried throughout the 2000s, yet weakened somewhat in intensity. However, the country remained deeply divided and political relations between Anglophones and Francophones remained tense.
Protests and escalation (2016-2017)
Protests and strikes began in October 2016, at first led by lawyers and teachers, but eventually growing to involve a broader part of the population. They originally centered around the perceived infringement on Anglophone judicial and educational systems. Some protestors also called for greater autonomy of the Anglophone regions. Government security forces met protests with sustained repression, leading to several civilians dead and hundreds arrested. Tensions carried into 2017 as the government banned civil society groups and shut down internet and telecommunications in the Anglophone regions. Activists responded through civil disobedience tactics such as school boycotts and “ghost town” protests.
Repression continued through 2017 and any meaningful dialogue between the government and protestors was never established. Protestors began clamoring for independence and some groups turned to violent action against the government as well as civilian targets. Towards the end of 2017, violence flared as security forces increased military deployment and cracked down on dissenters. The situation reached a tipping point during large-scale protests in late September and early October, when tens of thousands went to the streets. Cameroonian security forces responded with deadly force against the non-violent protestors. At least a few dozen and possibly as many as a hundred were killed in one-sided violence by the Cameroonian government during these events.
Emergence of armed groups (2017-)
In parallel to the suppression of the street protests, hardliner separatists embarked on the path to establish armed groups, aiming to launch an armed struggle. However, from the outset they were fraught with internal problems and instead of creating one cohesive armed group, numerous small ones emerged. Due to a lack of information regarding the specific identity of rebel groups in violent events, the myriad of armed groups in Cameroon’s Anglophone region are collectively dubbed Ambazonia insurgents in UCDP data. Some of the main armed actors within this overarching label are: SOCADEF (Southern Cameroons Defense Forces); ADF (Ambazonia Defense Forces); and ASDC (Ambazonia Self-Defence Council), also known as ARF (Ambazonia Restoration Forces). ASDC is a loosely organized umbrella group consisting of the Manyu Ghost Warriors, the Red Dragons, the Seven Karta and the Tigers of Ambazonia among others. The two main political entities claiming to represent "Ambazonia" are the IG (Interim Government) and the AGovC (Ambazonia Governing Council). The ASDC constitutes the military wing of the former while the latter commands the ADF.
The first recorded attack against a state target occurred on 16 September 2017 when a member of AGovC’s military wing ADF killed two police officers during an attempted bombing of the Bamenda Congress Hall. Since then armed violence has continued between Ambazonia insurgents and government forces in the Anglophone regions. In late 2017 and throughout 2018 the Cameroonian government increased their military presence in the area. The armed struggle has been characterized by large government military actions and small separatist counter-attacks, with separatists utilizing low state outreach to avoid large confrontations. Instead, smaller bands of separatist fighters primarily attacked isolated military and police checkpoints or otherwise engaged government forces in small-scale skirmishes. Government security forces mainly conducted raids on separatist camps in the bush as well as a few large-scale clearance operations. 2018 saw a peak in fatalities with the heaviest fighting between government forces and separatists. A particularly large battle occurred on 3 March in the Batibo subdivision, where reports suggest more than a hundred may have been killed. In mid-2018, violence spread from the Anglophone regions to bordering Francophone regions. Since September 2018, the Ambazonia insurgents are reported to have suffered heavy losses, including several field commanders. Throughout 2018, civilians were frequently targeted by the Cameroonian government in reprisal attacks on communities suspected of supporting the separatists.
Fighting has since continued in the same manner with separatists continuing to target government checkpoints and patrols while government forces attempt to dismantle insurgent camps. As the conflict raged on, the lines between combatant and civilian have blurred. Civilians have frequently been killed in clashes between separatists and security forces as well as in government raids on villages. In 2020, there was a growing concern among international observers and local stakeholders that the conflict is degenerating. Local communities were forced to bear the brunt of the conflict as both government forces and separatists erected checkpoints where they arbitrarily detained and extorted civilians. The continued fragmentation of separatist groups also posed a challenge to peaceful resolution as the leading separatists exerted even less control over the fighting on the ground than previously. 2021 saw an escalation of violence, particularly a stark increase in fatalities among government forces. This may be partially attributed to an increased use of improvised explosive devices targeting government patrols throughout the year. The deadliest attack of 2021 occurred when separatist fighters ambushed a convoy in Bamessing, Northwest region, using both IEDs and an anti-tank rocket launcher. The attack resulted in the death of 15 soldiers and 13 civilians. The Cameroonian Defence Minister has attributed the increased use of IEDs to a reduction in manpower across separatist groups. While government forces continued to press separatist groups with raids, there was no indication that armed groups were considerably weakened in 2021.
Leadership struggles and prospects of negotiations
Two parties have claimed to be the legitimate government of the proposed Ambazonian state; the Interim Government (IG) and the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC). The IG, which has been viewed by many as the more credible of the two, was headed by Julius Ayuk Tabe at the time of the violent protests and beginning of armed conflict in 2017. Upon his arrest in Nigeria and subsequent extradition to Cameroon in 2018, leadership of the group was transferred to Samuel Ikome Sako. The leadership shift is argued to have weakened the IG politically as the Sako administration has been accused of incompetence and misappropriation of funds. In 2019, the imprisoned Julius Ayuk Tabe released a memo in which he dissolved the Sako administration, saying that they had lost focus of the goal of restoration. Sako did not recognize this move, resulting in a de facto split of the IG into two factions, led by Ayuk Tabe and Sako respectively. While the IG was still formally one organization, this power struggle saw other separatist groups divided, with some supporting Sako and some, including the AGovC, supporting Ayuk Tabe.
The leadership struggle further complicated prospects for negotiations. In 2019, Switzerland mediated in negotiations between leaders of the separatists and the Cameroonian government. Yet these negotiations did not bear fruit, reportedly because the separatist leaders were not influential enough with Ayuk Tabe absent. In 2020, talks were held between government representatives and the still imprisoned Ayuk Tabe. However, other separatist groups, including AGovC, have since stated that prisoners cannot negotiate on behalf of Ambazonia. No talks emerged in 2021, but a representative of the Sako administration said that third party negotiations were possible and that the IG awaits government representatives in Switzerland.
