Ambazonia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ambazonia is an organization formed in 1985 that seeks independence for Southern Cameroons (the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest provinces of the Republic of Cameroon). It is also the name used by that organisation and others for the new nation that would result from the dissolution of the 1961 union of the Southern Cameroons with the Republic of Cameroon.
The Republic of Ambazonia was declared as an independent state in December 1999 by a militant group seeking independence for the former British Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons. This declaration has not been recognized by other countries or by the United Nations (UN). The area remains under the control of the Republic of Cameroon. In 2005 the Southern Cameroons / Republic of Ambazonia became a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO).
The inhabitants of this area generally speak English as their second language. Many object to the elimination of the former federal structure of Cameroon, and its replacement by a unitary state. Many believe that the rights of the Anglophone minority are not being respected by the Francophone majority in Cameroon. While some seek the reinstatement of the federal structure, others, including the supporters of the would-be Republic of Ambazonia, believe that independence is necessary to protect their rights. Southern Cameroonians in exile formed the Ambazonia Liberation Party (ALIP) in July 2004.[1]
Southern Cameroon is a former UN trust territory which was united with the Republic of Cameroon (La République du Caméroun, formerly French Cameroons) in 1961 following a plebiscite. The northern part of British Cameroon voted to join Nigeria.
It is located between Nigeria to the west and north, and the Republic of Cameroon to the east. It is wedged between West Africa and the former French Equatorial Africa. If independent, Ambazonia would share maritime boundaries with Nigeria, the Republic of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
It has a land size of 43,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 6 million people. It is thus slightly larger than the Netherlands, ranked the 131st largest country and has about as many inhabitants as Paraguay, the world's 100th largest country in terms of population. (In other terms, Ambazonia is more populous than at least 60 UN and 18 African Union (AU) Member States, and is larger in area than at least 30 UN and 12 AU Member States.)
