A Tale of many Flags By Muluh Mbuh

“THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

“Recalling its resolution 1350 (XIII) of 13 March 1959 concerning the future of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration in which the General Assembly recommended, inter alia, that the Administering Authority take steps, in consultation with the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner for the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration, to organize, under the supervision of the United Nations, separate plebiscites in the Northern and Southern parts of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration, in order to ascertain the wishes of the inhabitants of the territory concerning their future, and that the plebiscite in the Northern Cameroons be held about the middle of November 1959 on the basis of the two questions set out in paragraph 2 of the said Resolution,

UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION 1608 (XV) OF APRIL 21, 1961.

Resolution 1608 (xv) as submitted by the Fourth Committee, A/4737, and as amended orally by Guinea and Liberia, adopted by the General Assembly on 21 April 1961, meeting 994, by roll-call vote of 64 to 23, with 10 abstentions, as follows:

Note: The following are countries that believed that the union of the two Cameroons under a Federal system of two equal states would be a good thing!

IN FAVOR:

Afghanistan, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burma, Byelorussian SSR, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Federation of Malaya, Finland, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Phillippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian SSR, Union of South Africa, USSR, United Arab Republic, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yemen, Yugoslavia.

AGAINST:

Note: The following are countries that were against such a union citing the violation of the Trusteeship agreement, and noting that there shall be future political (constitutional), socio-cultural and economic problems!

Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Leopoldville), Dahomey, France, Gabon, Greece, Israel, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Niger, Paraguay, Senegal, Upper Volta, Uruguay.

ABSTENTIONS:

Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Togo.

“THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

“Recalling its resolution 1350 (XIII) of 13 March 1959 concerning the future of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration in which the General Assembly recommended, inter alia, that the Administering Authority take steps, in consultation with the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner for the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration, to organize, under the supervision of the United Nations, separate plebiscites in the Northern and Southern parts of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration, in order to ascertain the wishes of the inhabitants of the territory concerning their future, and that the plebiscite in the Northern Cameroons be held about the middle of November 1959 on the basis of the two questions set out in paragraph 2 of the said Resolution,

“Recalling its resolution 1352 (XIV) of 16 October 1959 whereby it decided, inter alia, that a plebiscite in the Southern Cameroons would be held between 30 September 1960 and March 1961, on the basis of the two questions set in paragraph 2 of the said resolution,

“Recalling further its resolution 1473 (XIV) of 12 December 1959 in which the General Assembly, having considered the results of the plebiscite in the Northern part of the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration, recommended the organization by the Administering Authority, in consultation with the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner, of a further plebiscite to be held in the Northern Cameroons under United Nations supervision between 30 September 1960 and March 1961, on the basis of the two questions defined in paragraph 3 of the said resolution,

“Having examined the report of the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner concerning the two plebiscites held in the Northern and the Southern Cameroons in February 1961 and the report of the Trusteeship Council thereon,

Having heard the petitioners,

“1. Expresses its high appreciation of the work of the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner for the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration and his staff;

“2. Endorses the results of the plebiscite that:

“(a) The people of Northern Cameroons have by a majority, decided to achieve independence by joining the independent Federation of Nigeria;

“(b) The people of the Southern Cameroons have similarly decided to achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroun;

“3. Considers that, the people of the two parts of the Trust Territory having freely and secretly expressed their wishes with regards to their respective futures in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1352 (XIV) and 1473 (XIV), the decisions made by them through democratic processes should be immediately implemented;

“4. Decides that, the plebiscites having been taken separately with differing results, the Trusteeship Agreement of 13 December 1946 concerning the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration shall be terminated, in accordance with Article 76b of the Charter of the United Nations and in agreement with the Administering Authority, in the following manner:

“(a) With Respect to the Northern Cameroons, on I June 1961, upon it’s joining the Federation of Nigeria as a separate province of the Northern Region of Nigeria;

“(b) With respect to the Southern Cameroons, on 1 October 1961, upon it’s joining the Republic of Cameroun;

“5. Invites the Administering Authority, the Government of the Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroun to initiate urgent discussions with a view to finalizing, before October 1, the arrangements by which the agreed and declared policies of the parties concerned will be implemented.”

ORAL HEARINGS:

General Assembly 15th Session (First and Second Parts).

Fourth Committee, Meetings 1004, 1010, 1012, 1066, 1086, 1096, 1097, 1098, 1105, 1108, 1120, 1127-1130, 1139, 1140, 1142, 1147.

A/C.4/445 and Add.1-3, A/C.4/469 and Add.1-8.

Requests for Hearings.

A/C.4/448. Note by Secretary General.

A/C.4/490. Additional statement by Namaso Mbile, Cameroons People’s National Convention, Kumba Division, on Southern Cameroons.

A/C.4/495. Statement by S.T. Muna, Minister of Commerce and Industries, Southern Cameroons.

A/C.4/96. Additional Statement by Mayi Matip, Chairmen of Union des Populations du Cameroun Parliamentary group.

II. APPRAISAL OF UN RESOLUTION 1608: WHY UN RESOLUTION 1608 IS CENTRAL TO THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE AMBAZONIA (SOUTHERN CAMEROONS) AND CAMEROUN.

The nations that voted in favor of the resolution might have had “unity as strength” as their guiding principle. But when we take a look at the said resolution and the rejected alternative to vote for Union with Nigeria while also taking into consideration the sufferings and deprivations that the people of the so-called “Southern Cameroons” have been subjected in union with Cameroun Republic, we have every reason to feel and believe that British Southern Cameroonians have been maltreated by both Cameroun, the administering authorities and the Trusteeship Council who were both charged with the duty of ensuring that the union took place according to defined principles and produced a Constitution worth the exercise; and together with the complicity of the United nations. From the said Resolution, we can make the following deductions:

A nation cannot become “independent by joining” another, especially if it is denied a seat at the World Organization. The case of the Republics that were part of USSR but had separate seats at the UN (and voted herein) is a glaring pointer! This condition secures the right of the parties to regain their sovereignty without necessarily having to pull much string, in case of material breach of treaty, as the non-implementation of the said resolution does suggest.

From (1) above, it is clear that the Trusteeship Agreement was already under manipulation and violation, since “by joining” does not lead “to either self-government or independence” (76b)/(Declaration Granting Independence… )! At the same time, given that “Southern Cameroons” already attained self-government and that its public officials were negotiating international treaties on its behalf, the only logical alternative would have been total independence—and not union with a terrorist Cameroun Republic, which not only sold out its sovereignty to France at independence but which has also never found peace or even common democracy with it self.

That Cameroun was among nations that opposed the Resolution and given that Cameroun has violated the Federation Treaty is seemingly coincidental and consistent, and besides demanding that 1608 be implemented or Cameroun leaves Ambazonian territory, Cameroun behavior constitute gross evidence that Cameroun authority were not interested to have either a federation or unity with erstwhile British Southern Cameroons. On the contrary, the evidence does suggest that Cameroun instead made plans and executed them towards the recolonizing the territory. Thus Cameroun should not resist “Southern Cameroons” moves to re-instate and exercise its full sovereignty, which would fulfill Article 76b of the UN Charter and secure/protect the rights and aspirations of its citizens.

France by virtue of its fears that Anglo-Saxon culture would pollute and prevent them from exercising continuous neocolonialism/neo-imperialism on its former colonies, especially Cameroun, equally opposed the said resolution.

The Administering Authorities, in the case of the “Southern Cameroons”—the United Kingdom, did not do its job of ensuring that negotiations were conclusive before the stipulated date. Instead, what transpired was that Britain abandoned the “Southern Cameroons” at the mercy of French and Cameroun colonizers when it effectively pulled out of the territory one month to the date stipulated for the termination of the UN Trusteeship by effectively transferring power and SOVEREIGNTY in the “Southern Cameroons” to the President of French Cameroun, thus violating UN Article 76 (b) which demanded that power should be transferred to the peoples of the territory (See British Colonial Office Declassified Documents at www.ambazonia.com).

The UN equally failed to perform its role as supervisor of the process to decolonize the “Southern Cameroons” without necessarily compromising its sovereignty. To begin with, by failing to decolonize German Protectorate of Kamerun as one entity, and allowing the French to singularly attach large portions of it to Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Gabon, one will definitely be right to question why of all KAMERUN only the “Southern Cameroons” have to win Cameroun’s and UN attention for promoting unity.

Evidence of the betrayal of the British Southern Cameroons by both Britain and the UN Nations is found in the fact that at the Foumban Constitutional talks, which attempted to implement UN Resolution 1608 but failed, both parties were absent. Thus there was never any conclusive deal, which protected the “Southern Cameroons” from French and Cameroun intrigues. International law regards this absence as a major breach of international treaty and breach of trust and obligation—which renders the said union null and void ab initio!

FIVE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE MADE FROM THE ABOVE SEVEN POINTS:

Due to the confusion of the name “Southern Cameroons” with Cameroun Republic’s Southern Province, and given that at independence era the “Southern Cameroons” by virtue of its democratic nature, as opposed to Cameroun which was at war wit itself and still is with Communist tendencies, the “Southern Cameroons” has a new identity which distinguishes her from Cameroun Republic and is consistent with its quest for its sovereignty. That identity is THE REPUBLIC OF AMBAZONIA—meaning “peoples of the hinterlands (zonia) of Ambas Bay”—the rich and beautiful Bay from which the slops of Mount Fako—mistakenly named as Mount Cameroun takes its rise, to influence the rising and undulating landscapes of the hinterlands of the rich and beautiful Republic of Ambazonia.

Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons), even if we assume attained independence, stands clearly as an example of a none-state nation given that it was never given a seat at the UN. By virtue of the fact that the Federation deal was never conclusive, everything that has been done in Cameroun in the name and name-changing syndrome of unity is null and void ab initio, and must be considered not binding on Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons) which has clearly and effectively proven that there were unpardonable discrepancies in the unity process—which has led Cameroun to treat the “Southern Cameroons” leaders and masses as second class citizens and above all, refused to be lawful and accountable to/on the acts of government—this making Ambazonia—A UN Trust Territory which suffers from the dual effects of international conspiracy and breach of international treaty—to pass as a Cameroun Republic colony in 2001! Based on the above analyses, Ambazonia’s right to freely exercise its sovereignty can hardly be questioned, let alone denied.

The non-implementation of UN Resolution 1608 is glaring proof of a material breach of treaty and requires that the World Body actively take part in terminating the now too falsified relationship between Ambazonia and Cameroun before the situation turns into a bloody war of liberation.

Lastly, given that Cameroun which was at war with itself was even given independence and admitted to the UN as such, the material breach of treaty is an indication that the only recourse is for the UN to admit Ambazonia to the UN since Cameroun as a separate nation prior to the said treaty has no locus standi to maintain any presence in Ambazonia, to say less of making any claims to its territory.

The Ambazonia Patriotic Front (APF) acting as custodian of the message of the Ambazonia Republic’s “Ambazonia Peoples Emancipation Council (APEC) program” based in Washington, D.C., demands/suggests that the UN should redress this problem before it escalates into a full-scale war of liberation by granting Adult Membership to Ambazonia Republic in the United Nations, as a good start in redressing the damage caused to its peoples by over forty years of Cameroun illegal occupation. The time to do so is now, the sooner the better for all parties concerned and affected.

Comments

[ebai,p]

The world must be informed of all criminal activities by the cameroun regime, via bbc such as the recent
killings at buea to expediate the souvereignty of ambazonia, its not too late for photographs and details
be sent to bbc to educate the .

[Nfor Hassan Dama]

Thanks a lot my fellow compatriot.May God the almighty give you long life.Please i wish to propose that since we have been using the pen and the paper up till now and the U.N and the so call la republic du cameroun seems to take it a joke,i think it is time we all came together and move forward.I mean i am tired of staying in exile,i think it is time for action now.
Staff Sergeant Nfor.
Bissau
Republica da Guine Bissau.

[A. Ebot]

Keep it up folks.

[A. Ebot]

Keep it up folks.

[Festus Mbakwa]

Many thanks to those of you making this meaningful education available to us. Unfortunately internet services are not very common to most Southern Cameroonians back at home. The people of Southern Cameroon must be educated at all levels(at home and in Diaspora).Infact the influential Southern Cameroonians(eg. SDF leaders....)who are still dreaming of leadership and power in La Republique Du Cameroun should by all means be stopped from misleading fellow brethrens of the SC. Instead, they should gather courage and say enough is enough and it is time to embrace a meaningful and genuine fight of freedom from annexation by La Republique du Cameroun.The force that stood up in Cameroon during the launching of the SDF against all types of treat by La republique can again stand to say mistakes were made to think that SC is part of La Republic du Cameroun. We Southern Cameroonians want to fight in a united front without conflicting ideas. As history is blaming our brothers(who were not quite educated) who voted to join La Republique du Cameroun, so it shall one day blame those of us who now know the truth and still want to mislead the uneducated masses. We were fools once and it will be unacceptable to fall in the same pit if we now know what we can do to be free. While fighting is mostly seen to be meaningful at the international level, it is very necessary that the base be aware that we no longer have any business in La Republique du Cameroun and everyone should focus on a unique fight of separation from the illegal union.