The Bui event is another indicator of the need and urgency to achieve a unified self-defense front in the Ambazonia war of independence

The Ambazonia Self-Defense Council (ASC) notes with dismay the unfortunate event in Bui that has resulted in the loss of some of our bravest fighters due to miscalculation among defense forces. We are deeply saddened by the news. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

In fact, the ASC strongly condemns any act that results in the taking away of the life of a person, maiming a person or any act that is contrary to the recognized norm of self-defence against illegally occupying military and administrators of La Republic du Cameroun within the territory of Ambazonia. Instead, we must strive to minimize internal misunderstanding and by coming together under a united front in order to better confront our common enemy:  La Republique du Cameroun.

We encourage those responsible for the forces, both Bui Warriors and ADF forces, to conduct thorough investigations for the appreciation of the people of Ambazonia and identify concrete corrective steps, and implement them to prevent such incidents from happening again anywhere across Ambazonia.

While expecting the concerned authorities in Bui and ADF to investigate the Bui event to help inform the Ambazonia public on what happened, why it happened, and how it happened, we would like to offer some best practices that can be implemented immediately to minimize misunderstanding in Ground Zero.

Moving forward, we encourage all Self-Defence forces to incorporate and abide by following five rules of engagement:

1. Every fighter or unit that plans to move into or pass through a friendly territory must notify the appropriate commanders operating in advance of at least 12-24 hours. The advance notification time is necessary to allow consultations, determine if the request is from a friendly fighter or unit, and assess that the intent of the request is genuine, prior to deciding whether to approve. Do not inform them while on the move because by then it would be too late and you will be mistaken for an enemy. On the other hand, the receiving commander who is in the territory should address the request in a timely manner usually within 12 to 24 hrs. This is a necessary mechanism to avoid friendly fire exchange.

2. Neighboring commanders must maintain constant communication amongst themselves to ensure they are aware of their surroundings and avoid any intruder.

3. We are our brothers’ keepers. Every self-defence force must ensure the safety of the force. Any disputes must be addressed by the leadership in a timely manner. No restoration force or the commander should make life and death decisions on the battlefield by themselves regarding other Restoration forces. Any of such actions that occur will be addressed through the appropriate hierarchy as soon as possible.

4. The priority of every self-defence force or unit on GZ is the protection of civilians and their property against the forces of La Republique du Cameroun that has increased acts of massacre, arrest for ransoms, and burning to ashes economic assets of our people and their homes including humans.

5. All Self-Defense forces must act at all times in a disciplined manner and professionalism to earn the trust and confidence of our civilian population, who is the most important person we are fighting for. In turn, we call on our civilian population to continue to provide the support to all our Self-Defence forces until we completely liberate our land from the illegal occupying and terrorist forces of President Paul Biya.

Long Live Ambazonia