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| Elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) members patrol the abandoned village of Ekona near Buea in the Anglophone Southwest region, Cameroon, on October 4, 2018. Zohra Bensemra/Reuters |
— YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon
The armed conflict in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, which separatists call Ambazonia, persists with no prospect of resolution by the end of 2025.
Among the recent acts of violence is the December 5 incident in Bafut, Mezam County, where soldiers executed five civilians, including a 71-year-old man, in a café. Separatist sources describe this event as a massacre.
Attacks against security forces have also intensified this month, with ambushes resulting in the deaths of soldiers in areas such as Fundong.
This crisis stems from the long-standing resentment of Anglophones over their marginalization in this predominantly Francophone country. The 2016 protests escalated into an insurgency after the separatists declared independence in 2017.
Throughout 2025, clashes continued, including the January attacks in Akwaya that killed seven soldiers (claimed by the Ambazonian Defense Forces – ADF), as well as ambushes, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and raids. The separatists disrupted the October 12 presidential election through boycotts and low voter turnout in the Anglophone regions, where President Paul Biya was re-elected.
Government forces are accused of burning villages, arbitrary detentions, and sexual violence, while separatist groups are blamed for kidnappings, extortion, attacks on civilians accused of collaboration, and the imposition of no-go zones. Internal fighting between separatist factions has also intensified, worsening the situation.
More than 6,500 people have been killed since 2016 (some estimates are higher), more than 600,000 are internally displaced, and millions are in need of assistance. The crisis has disrupted education, with separatists imposing school boycotts and depriving hundreds of thousands of children of schooling. Diplomatic efforts have stalled.
In May 2025, it was revealed that President Biya had refused mediation by former African presidents. Previous negotiations led by Switzerland failed, and the government maintains that the conflict is a matter of internal security and aims to combat “terrorists,” rejecting preconditions demanded by the separatists, such as the release of prisoners.
Human rights activist Williams Manga accuses the government of fueling the crisis. “Soldiers are burning villages and killing civilians who are not even separatist fighters,” Manga told Gazette Africa on Saturday, calling for a dialogue that the government has consistently refused.