For over fifteen months, French Cameroun authorities have attempted every trick in the book to deceive the world that Southern Cameroons restoration forces are laying down their arms. The corrupt dictatorship illegally occupying Ambazonia, has built three makeshift prisons housing common criminals and paid actors, and termed the facilities, Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Centre.

The Monday, 1 February 2021 demonstration by alleged ex-Ambazonia separatist fighters in the Buea facility was a major embarrassment for the regime in Yaoundé. The protesters were heard screaming that they were “protesting against their poor living conditions and the unfulfilled promises of the La Republique du Cameroun Government ever since they dropped their arms.”

A Cameroon Concord News Group source on the scene said locals identified about eight of the protestors as burglars that are serving time in the Buea Central Prison. A local resident who elected anonymity furthered “I recognised four burglars who are supposed to be serving time for aggravated burglary since 2013. They have nothing to do with the Ambazonia struggle. They must have been paid by this corrupt government to stage that they live in the DDR centre. It is disgusting and disgraceful.”

As the protest continued, one of the alleged ex-separatist fighters said “the reason for the protest was because we have been suffering for more than a year since we laid down our arms. We have been living in unfavourable housing conditions, poor treatment, no jobs causing some of our wives and partners to leave us.” Another protestor shouted “all of the promises made to us by the government for jobs and employment are unfulfilled and because of this, we have decided to carry on a protest so the government can see in to their problems.”

In a country not known to show civility to protesters, the local population around Bokwango and Long Street in Buea were left suspicious and concerned at the peaceful manner that the government applied to stop the so-called protest. A local resident said “this was a staged protest especially after some on the true identities of the protestors were revealed and we are very worried that they are our new neighbours.”

By Asu Vera Eyera in London with files from Buea