| |||||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
Bamenda | ||||||
| Language | English | ||||||
| Legislature | Republic | ||||||
| President | |||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||
| Area | 62,342 sq km | ||||||
| Population | 2,856,200 | ||||||
| Independence | from Cameroon | ||||||
| declared | Dec 3, 2001 | ||||||
| recognized | May 22, 2009 | ||||||
The Republic of Ambazonia is a small Republic in west Central Africa.
History[]
Post Doomsday[]
Following Doomsday, rising Islamic activism in northern Cameroon caused parliament, centered in the mostly Catholic southern Cameroon to begin taking more authoritarian measures with the populace. Though this was intended to keep the Islamic militants in the north at bay, it also served to give greater control over the Anglophone western regions. As the years went by and the Cameroon parliament centralised more and more power the Islamic north finally rose up declaring that the events of Doomsday had shown that Islam was the truth. Calling for Cameroon to adopt Islam as its national religion and establish an Islamic Republic a group of activists began to march on the capital. The Cameroon government sent the military to intervene and send the activists home, but things got out of hand and on June 7th 1995 Cameroon troops opened fire on Islamic protesters.
Immediately the people of the north were outraged and began mobilizing against the government. Fighting was fierce for the first few years, with gains and losses by both sides. By 1998 fighting between both sides had reached a stalemate and the western regions which had managed to largely stay out of the fighting began to be eyed by both sides as a source of fresh troops and resources. No longer wanting to be ruled by the corrupt french administration, but not wanting to give up their rights and religion under an oppressive theocracy the anglophone west began talks of secession. As the fighting began entering the western regions independence was declared as the Republic of Ambazonia in Bamenda on February 3rd, 2001.
Occupation and Independence[]
Ambazonian civilians welcome Nigerian troops.
The Ambazonian militia was badly organized and couldn't put up much of a fight against the incoming troops of the Republic of Cameroon or the Islamic Republic of Cameroon. In 2002 envoys were sent to Nigeria and the rest of the newly formed West African Union in order to appeal for aid. With the more western members of the WAU active in stabilization efforts in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria was the closest and only available member to aid and in September of 2002 Nigerian troops crossed over into Ambazonian territory. Cameroon and the IRC both viewed this as an invasion of their territory and as the fighting between them had stagnated, they declared an uneasy peace to focus their efforts on the larger threat of Nigeria. Initial fighting was hindered by the Ambazonian's lack of organization and resistance to turn over control of the war to the Nigerian military. This led to several operations being spoiled by premature Ambazonian offensives, retreats, and several botched operations leading to lost territory. June 2003 Nigerian leadership decided that the Ambazonian people deserved their freedom, but without organization or proper cooperation it couldn't happen. Nigerian military seized control of all Ambazonian military facilities and forced all Ambazonian troops under Nigerian command. All those who resisted were arrested.
A group of Ambazonian citizens celebrate their independence.
Ambazonia was declared a Nigerian protectorate until the war was over and a shift to an organized civilian government could be implemented. There was some resistance to the move both in Nigeria and Ambazonia, but it eventually proved to be the right course of action. With the newly organized troops joint Nigerian/Ambazonian forces were able to push any Cameroon/IRC forces out of the region. A ceasefire was declared August 2005 and Nigerian forces began constructing a border fence 50 km outside Ambazonian territory. While this angered both Cameroon and the IRC, their forces were in no state to resume hostilities. Nigerian aid began to come into Ambazonia and a constitution was written with the goals and values of Adeyemism as its basis. Nigerian troops began training police and military for an eventual handover of control. On May 22nd 2009 an official peace treaty between Nigeria, Ambazonia, Cameroon and the IRC was signed, officially splitting Cameroon into three states. The same day control of Ambazonia was handed over to a provisional civilian government, with elections to be held in July.
Current Situation[]
With aid from the West African Union, infrastructure and industry have begun to be rebuilt following years of war and neglect. The Ambazonian government has agreed to join the WAU and will officially sign the treaties in early 2010. Relations with Nigeria are mixed, while many resent the years of occupation during the war of independence, others are thankful for Nigerian aid in the conflict. The border wall between the IRC and Cameroon is a constant reminder that peace is fragile.
Government and Politics[]
The government of Ambazonia is a Presidential Republic in which one elected official is both Head of State and Head of Government. The President is elected for terms of six years and may not exceed two terms. The president may be removed from office by a three-fourth majority vote in the National Assembly. The legislative body is the National Assembly. The National Assembly is made up of 30 representatives, two from each electoral district. Elections for Members of the National Assembly (MNA) are held every three years for one set of 25 representatives, and representatives serve terms of six years.
Political Parties[]
There are currently three registered political parties in the Ambazonian National Assembly, these are:
- Ambazonian Freedom Party - A Libertarian party, currently holds 11 seats.
- Ambazonian Labour Party - A centre-left Social Democrat party, currently holds 23 seats.
- People's Business Party - A Socially and Economically conservative party devoted to business interests, currently holds 16 seats.
There is a single other registered political party, the Royalist Party of Ambazonia, who seeks to re-instate the British crown and establish a Constitutional Monarchy. There is very little support for this movement.
Economy[]
Currently the economy of Ambazonia is dominated mostly by subsistence agriculture. Most industry is concentrated in the northwest, but is made up of mostly food processing facilities. With membership in the West African Union fast-tracked, the WAU Economic Development Commission is developing a strategy to help industrialize some parts of the economy, such as Palm Wine production and textiles.
Foreign Relations[]
Ambazonia is not currently a member of the League of Nations, but a membership application is forthcoming. Ambazonia enjoys good relations with members of the West African Union, and other Anglophone African nations. Relations with the Islamic Republic of Cameroon and the Republic of Cameroon are heated. There is currently only a single permanent embassy, with Nigeria.