Ambazonia Independence Day: Cameroon’s Hidden History Resurfaces on Oct 1

For Ambazonians, October 1 is not an ordinary date. It marks the day in 1961 when British Southern Cameroons was supposed to stand as a free people, recognized under UN Resolution 1608. Instead, the promise of autonomy was broken as French Cameroun annexed the territory, turning a union of equals into conquest.

Unlike other African nations that proudly mark their independence, Yaoundé has deliberately buried this date, replacing it with a fabricated “National Day” on May 20 — an invention designed to camouflage the betrayal of history. Even Paul Biya, during his 2014 visit to Buea, acknowledged the truth: “History has not forgotten that Buea was the capital of Southern Cameroons.”

Today, Ambazonian voices are rising. From Florida to Europe, diaspora communities are holding solidarity events. In Kondengui prison, jailed Muslim scholar Abdulkarim Ali sent a defiant message to his people, reminding them that “independence delayed is not independence denied.” Later this evening, Vice President Julius Nyih is expected to address Ambazonians in an official Independence Day broadcast, while all eyes turn to Oslo, where Dr. Ayaba Cho Lucas is scheduled to deliver a highly anticipated message.

The historical record remains clear. Southern Cameroons was never conquered in war, nor did its people consent to annexation. The 1961 plebiscite was marred by manipulation, denying the third option of full independence. Instead, colonial power games at Versailles after World War I and later at the UN dictated the fate of a people who had fought and died for Britain, France, and their allies, only to return home without pensions, recognition, or dignity.

Njousi Abang of the AGovC Education Secretariat summed up the spirit of this year’s commemoration: “Today Ambazonia stands as a testament to resistance. Our sacrifices and our rights to a homeland are non-negotiable. We will hold the line until victory.”

Ambazonians insist their fight is not for secession but for restoration — reclaiming the independence declared and celebrated on this very day in 1961.

As the world watches, October 1 remains both a wound and a weapon: the date the Biya regime fears, the date Ambazonia refuses to forget.