What is 20th May? The government chose 20 May as Cameroon’s National Day to commemorate President Ahmadou Ahidjo’s abolishment of the federal system of government in favor of a unitary country in 1972.
What is the significance? It is a day which the government of Ahidjo chose to commemorate as a national day for the illegal change of government and altering the constitution and the resolution put in place at the Foumban conference that established the coming together of the two Cameroons. This move created the situation we found ourselves today. This action gave the government of Ahidjo and his subsequent predecessor total control over the territory of southern Cameroon which was never to be in the first place. This action also laid the foundation of marginalization and acts of extreme violence and in some cases genocide against the people of Ambazonia . This foundation let to the building of systems which are dehumanizing and destroying the very values of which the Foumban conference was built upon. A unification of a long lost brotherly society was what was intended but today we find a society rigged with corruption, bribery, incompetence, mockery of our traditional rulers without leaving out poor infrastructures and lack of accountability. It should not be forgotten that the Ahidjo government abolished the federal system of government to birth a unitary state as a form of total control over the territory not as a form of bonding between this two nations diverse both historically and culturally.
Reality; what has the 20 May turned into? A few days ago was a 20 May, it was the annual cerebration of fictional day for a unification which the people didn’t asked for. The theme for this year was military for a unified Cameroon. This shows how the French Cameroun government is using the military to maintain a system which it uses to subdue and suppress the people of southern Cameroon. Further, traditional institutions a few years ago maintained independence from the state but since they were put on bread crumbs due to corruption and poverty. Today, traditional rulers of southern Cameroon are a poppet to the state and even had a walk of shame in the streets while we only saw respect towards the French Cameroun traditional rulers. It should be noted that these anct are tools to show false political reality of peace.
Two different reception of traditional rulers as seen below;
Furthermore, a few days leading to the celebration of the 20 May 2025, the who territory of Ambazonia was terrorized by French Cameroon soldiers who committed mass arrests and detentions to scare the population. The question here is mass arrest of civilians is that a sign of unity or oppression? The government of French Cameroun speaks about unity. But uses force , intimidation and suppression of free speech and expression are these tools for unity?
video of some of the arrested civilians.
In summary, it can be said that the treatment of southern Cameroonians is dehumanizing and the only solution is separation. The portray of unity and the show of military power is a charade and the idea of separation has been tattooed into the heart of the people. Though it is difficult for anyone in Ambazonia to freely speak up due to arrest and detention examples are Abdulkarim and Emmanuel . It can be said that we all the same thoughts and feelings for the independent of Ambazonia as the best solution.
