The Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (ASC), also known as Ambazonia Military Council (AMC), Ambazonia Military Forces (AMF), and Ambazonia Restoration Forces (ARF),Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers - the rebels fighting for independence
BBC, Oct 4, 2018. Accessed Oct 4, 2018. is an umbrella organization that consists of several militants that fight for the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, including the Red Dragons, the Tigers of Ambazonia, Seven Karta, the Manyu Ghost Warriors, the

Ambazonia Restoration Army The Ambazonia Restoration Army (ARA) is an Ambazonian separatist militia.Cameroo ...

Southern Cameroons Defence Forces The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (commonly referred to as SOCADEF) is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, and its ...

, the Bui Warriors,

General No Pity Clement Mbashie, better known by his nom de guerre "General No Pity", is an Ambazonian separatist who commands several militant groups, most importantly the Bambalang Marine Forces and Bui Unity Warriors, in the Anglophone Crisis. Biography Ear ...

's forces, and numerous others. Collectively, these militias possibly outsize the

Ambazonia Defence Forces The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone regions of the former Southern Cameroons, Cameroon. It was formally established by th ...

and

SOCADEF The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (commonly referred to as SOCADEF) is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, and its ...

History

The ASC was created by the

Interim Government of Ambazonia The Interim Government of Ambazonia is the provisional government in exile of the internationally unrecognized Federal Republic of Ambazonia. History Ayuk Tabe cabinet (2017–18) The Interim Government of Ambazonia was formed from the Sout ...

in March 2018. The Interim Government wished to include all separatist militias, including the ADF; however, the ADF declined to join, opting for cooperation rather than integration. It is unclear whether the ASC has a centralized command structure, though given the local nature of its militias, this is unlikely. In March 2019, the Southern Cameroons Liberation Council (SCLC) was created. Days later, it declared an immediate end to a lockdown in Fako Division, previously declared by the Interim Government. Although the ASC is loyal to the Interim Government, and the Interim Government is part of the SCLC, the ASC refused to end the lockdown. In its refusal to obey the order, the ASC cited the lack of consultation by the SCLC. By 2021, the ASC had become more commonly known as the "Ambazonia Restoration Forces" (ARF). In January 2022, the ARF began to fracture as conflicts erupted among its members. Several commanders of the umbrella group, including

and General Mad Dog, formed the Bui Unity Warriors in opposition to "Field Marshal" Insobu's Bui Warriors, another group within the ARF. The internal struggles further escalated in February 2022, as the Interim Government splintered when its leader Samuel Ikome Sako was impeached. General Mad Dog began attacking the forces of then-ARF chief commander Lekeaka Oliver, and General No Pity's troops killed Insobu in April 2022. Oliver was killed in July, either by government forces or rival rebels.

References

{{SouthwestRegionCM-geo-stub Military of Ambazonia National liberation movements in Africa Secessionist organizations

History

See also

References