11th February is a date that's always going to be distinct in the combined memory of the peoples of these two countries--AMBAZONIA and CAMEROUN. Though the date has a completely different significance for both countries. On the 11th of February 1961 the UN organised a PLEBICITE in the then self-governing UN Trust Territory of British Southern Cammeroons Under United Kingdom Administration. This plebiscite was part of the UN efforts aimed at implementing UN Resolution 1514 of 1960, popularly known as THE TWO ALTERNATIVES (see also Southern Cameroons' Constitutional Order in Council, 1960). Following the Plebiscite, the UN then approved the results by passing UN Resolution 1608 of April 21, 1961 demanding the implementation of the CAMEROUN OPTION of the TWO ALTERNATIVES WHICH DEMANDED THE FORMATION OF A CONFEDERATION OF "TWO EQUAL STATES" with a lean FEDERAL STRUCTURE (COMPRISING OF ONLY EIGHT FUNCTIONS!) over both governments and nations.

But the UN abandonned the process midway. This inconsisitency has developed from a mere misunderstanding due to differences in cultural heritage to becoming a controversy and a crisis.And there is every indication that it is on the way to becoming a full blown war if left unchecked. For the people of Ambazonia, 11 th February/April 21 are the dates of the illegal attempt at legitimizing the transfer of the sovereignty of the territory by the Colonial Office of the British government to the neocolonial French Cameroun regime. 11.02.61 marked the begining of wanton arrest, assassinations, and imprisonment and all that comes with military occupation.

For the people of French Cameroun 11.02.1961, is the date they got what they consider the legal right to consider Ambazonia as an integral part of French Cameroun and to run it as such. And since Ambazonia citizens do not exactly agree with this position, the regime of French Cameroun decided to use force to impose it's position . The 60s and 70s were years of frustration on the side of the masses of Ambazonia. Their government, parliament, and other public institutions like the police were from one day to the other dissolved and terror was used to stop any uprising or reaction from the people or the then so-called political elite.
Those who dared to try to move against these acts like former prime-minister Augustine Ngom Jua were assassinated sending the message there was no room for tolerating dissidents.

Equally in French Cameroun it was the period the regime continued with the harassment, murder or forcing into exile of it's opponents within French Cameroun, like the leaders of the UPC (Union du Populations Camerounaise or Union of Cameroun Peoples Party).

The Communist UPC fought very hard for independence of French Cameroun from the French and were now fighting against the neo-colonial regime imposed by the French government on French Cameroun. The late 70s and early 80s saw the closing of public companies or outright transferring them to French Cameroun from Ambazonia and the exploitation of petroleum from the shores of Ambazonia. Ambazonians are completely cut out of everything having to with real participation in decision making or benefiting from the revenue of the petroleum. The eighties and nineties saw first attempt at real Organized resistance from Ambazonia and within French Cameroun against the oppressive regime:

In March 1985, Fon Gorji-Dinka published his political pamphlet "The New Social Order” that in unmistaken words called for restoring the independence of Ambazonia. And later wrote to the Etat-Major of Cameroun Army demanding they stand by the masses of Cameroun and Ambazonia to demand that Biya abandon his recent political moves.

For a regime which has not been use to any criticism this was unacceptable and the government went after him. Surprisingly for the regime the Ambazonia masses responded with demonstrations. Due to pressure from the international community he (Fon Dinka) was hurriedly tried in a military tribunal and was found not guilty of the charge of treason levied on him. ..

--1989-90 begins the crisis between the state of French Cameroun, Mr.Albert Mukong and the Bar Leaders; Barrister Yondo Black then Barrister Ben Muna; and as it have proven to be possible the masses again stood firm against the regime. Laying the ground for more resistance later. ..
--1990 The SDF (Social Democratic Party) was launched as the first political party since the ban on the formation of political parties in the 70s. Again the masses came out against the regime's wish and launched the party which ended in the murder of 6(six) persons by troops of the regime. ..
--1993-1994; The SCNC (Southern Cameroons National Council) the first REAL mass Organisation that stood to express the frustration of Ambazonians with the state of affairs, politically and economically speaking since the 11.02.1961 plebiscite was formed. ..
--1997-brought to light the SCYL (Southern Cameroons Youth League) then a new group mostly of students frustrated by the slow and unconvincing approach used by the SCNC and bent on pushing the struggle forward with more than mere letter writing and holding of meetings and making proclamations. ..
--1999-Chief Justice Ebong Federick Alobwede,some other SCNC leaders and activists took over radio Buea and made an independence proclamation on the airwaves. .
--2001-SCPO(Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation) wins a case in a Nigerian High Court against the Nigerian government for classifying of Ambazonians as Cameroonians. The court went further to request that the Nigerian government accordingly take over the case of the restoration of the indepdence of Ambazonia at the UN.
An anniversary is a time to take stock and see how one has advance in his/her engagements.

11th February 2003 has just come and gone. If there is any stock taking to be made it is that :- .The attitude of the masses of Ambazonia has changed to one of disappointment. The masses in Ambazonia who stood and have always shown readiness to fight for their rights with the right leadership in every issue; as they resisted attempts at messing up with their educational system by the French Cameroon government in the 90s. This disappointment is almost leading to a resignation on the part of the masses. .In the last years since the 80s there have been the experience of a lot of the so-called Ambazonia political elite criss-crossing the boundaries separation the people and the oppressive regime in Yaounde. Or simply crossing over to the site of the government for personal benefits. .Those that remain have not been able to provide a convincing strategy and platform which can move the people to the revolution mass movement needed for liberation. There have been and continue to be a lot of internal personal rather than ideological strive within the Ambazonian political elite. .

There is basically no document available anywhere that can throw light on what type of country they are planning to build after they free themselves from French Cameroon, making it difficult to mobilize home and international opinion. For the home masses they are just another group of individuals whom after getting into power will turn around and focus on their families as has been the case both before and after the plebiscite.

a.) Those who make a few attempts in trying to put literature together reduce themselves to right populist making it difficult for those involved in international solidarity with liberation movements to see need for supporting the struggle. The results of pass experience with such right populist elsewhere in the world turning up to be dictators or little fascist after they win the liberation struggle is a problem.

b.) Some persons have resorted to uncontrolled praising of the time under British colonial control and by that deifying the British colonial system which exposes an unimaginable amount of political naivety and inability to conceive a better system that will be more just and based on real grassroots democracy . Especially when one remembers the political manipulation undertaken by the British when they controlled the country. Britain did not built any schools to train the people to control their future as the UN mandate expressly spelled. The British colonial administration basically did not have the peoples interest at heart and organised the selling ("To the highest Bidder") off of the territory to French Cameroun as revealed by British declassified documents. The British left behind a political structure which Mr.Foncha and Ahidjo could kill without any real resistance because there was no grassroots participation in the political structure.

c.) In the worst case some Ambazonian have turn to classify the whole of French Cameroun masses as their foe even though the regime that oppresses Ambazonians oppresses a great part of the masses of French Cameroun as well. Instead finding an ally in the hungry man in the streets of French Cameroun they have found a foe. Some go the extra length to not only make their foes all the masses of French Cameroun, they equally make of their foe Ambazonians who originate from ethnic groups that are a majority in French Cameroun. Some even try to explain links between certain ethnic groups and criminal tendencies or bad attitude; things which are unimaginable by anybody that knows the ABC of the world’s experience with that kind of fascist political analyses. These all benefits the government who plays over the we (Camerounians) against them (the Ambazonians) syndrome. People forget that while the ordinary man on the streets in French Cameroun has been brain watched to feel that being of French Cameroun makes them better than someone from Ambazonian, if correctly educated he will see that the institution that oppresses him and those that head it do not have any thing to do with place of origin . This ("we against them") approach also forgets that some of the staunchest supporters and benefactors of the oppressive regime are from Ambazonia and will never stop supporting this regime least they lost their benefits.

d.) Instead of seeing the various contributions of one another in the struggle for freedom like a benefit and a point to unit, the so-called Ambazonia elite see one another like competitors. An attitude that has been very counter productive.

e.)The fascist extreme right attitude of considering some ethnic groups to be intrinsically better than others has not only found it's way into the Ambazonia elite as a political ideology but is in full bloom in the so-called opposition parties in French Cameroun as well. Some of the persons one would consider politically enlightened Opposition leaders of French Cameroun will not get into the discussion of the issue of Ambazonia rights; which were ILLEGALLY usurped by the French Cameroun regime in 1961. They have this fascist opinion that their ethnic groups have some intrinsic superiority that gives them the right to rule Ambazonia, so according to them there is no issue of discussing an Ambazonia problem. The best proposal of the so-called French Cameroun Opposition leaders is for the people of Ambazonia to join in their fight against the present regime so that it could be replaced by a different regime controlled by (them) an other French Cameroun gang with their own new Ambazonia petit bourgeoisie. Anniversary is a time of stock taking and reflecting on how to go further. It is time to make a real analyses of the situation both on the part of the French Cameroun Opposition who needed to come to terms with the reality that the so-called Union between the two countries is build on an illegitimate foundation and if not addressed the things are only going to go one of the following ways:

1.This political opposition of French Cameroun will pass by as IRRELEVANT and when a more intelligent group come by, they will be able to face the fact that the Ambazonians are always going to strive for their rights no matter how many stooges seat in Yaounde and claim to represent the people of Ambazonia. The intelligent group will then see in the Ambazonian activists comrades against the neo-colonial regime seating in Yaounde.

2. Another tendency is that if the French Cameroun opposition continues along the present line were they identify with the oppressive regime of French Cameroun when it comes to the Ambazonia issue, they are still heading for IRRELEVANTS. When the Ambazonia struggle assumes it's full momentum, it will be simply the regime in French Cameroun government against the Ambazonia independence restoration fighters and since that will be the leading issue in due time, then the Opposition will sink to IRRELEVANCE.

3. It's time those involved in the Ambazonia struggle wake up to the fact that the contributions of the pass will never go away but the way forward lie in; first a thorough analysis without which this generation of so-called political elite is going to passby in it's state of political stillbirth. Every struggle is like a staircase it either has to be going up or coming down with every generation of leaders and the circumstances at their disposal.