Cameroon separatists mark 'independence'

Many English speakers want their own state

The southern Cameroon separatist movement will on Tuesday hold symbolic independence celebrations despite a government ban.

The Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC), which represents many English-speaking Cameroonians, is to mark the 41st anniversary of the day it says was set by the UN as Southern Cameroon independence day.

The council's leader, Justice Fred Ebong, told the BBC's Network Africa the celebrations would go ahead even though the government was "standing on intimidation" to prevent it.

Cameroon became independent in 1961 as a federal republic joining the French-speaking areas with two English speaking regions.

Independence followed a vote on unity, in which English-speaking southern Cameroon voted against union, but the French areas and the English-speaking north voted in favour.

After a referendum in 1972 in which a majority of English speakers supported a unitary system, Cameroon abolished the federal structures, which had provided some self-government for the English-speaking areas.

The SCNC says that English speakers are marginalised in Cameroon and it has campaigned for independence for the south.

Three killed

Justice Fred Ebong of the SCNC said that the southern Cameroon struggle for independence would continue - "no matter the brutality, we will not give up".

On 1 October 2001, the SCNC held rallies in the south which were broken up by police.

Three English speakers were killed when the rallies were suppressed and 100 activists were arrested.

Rallies are held on this date as in 1961, the UN General Assembly accepted the results of voting on unity in Cameroon. Southern Cameroon voted against and the SCNC says the UN set 1 October as independence day.

President Boyar opposes the separatists

But before that date, English and French-speaking leaders from across the country had agreed on a single, federal state rather separate states.

Justice Fred Ebong told the BBC that independence was denied to the south as a result of "a conspiracy between Britain and France".

The Cameroon government rarely refers directly to the separatist movement other than to say that English speakers are not marginalised and that the separatists are making a lot of noise about nothing, according to journalists who report for the BBC from Cameroon.