THE FIGHT FOR THE TOTAL FREEDOM OF THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS AKA AMBAZONIA, IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE DREAM OF ASSASSINATED ABENDONG ZACHARIA AKONUNG.
Abendong Zacharia Akonung: The Fallen Torchbearer of Southern Cameroons’ Sovereignty
In the struggle for Southern Cameroons’ liberation, few names carry the weight of both promise and betrayal like Abendong Zacharia Akonung. His life, though tragically short, stands as a rallying cry for a people whose identity, autonomy, and dignity were sacrificed at the altar of a flawed union.
Abendong was not just a student; he was a trailblazer. As the first African to study at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in the early 1960s, he represented the intellectual awakening of Southern Cameroons. His education abroad was not a detour; it was preparation for leadership. He returned home with a vision: to help build a free, self-governing Southern Cameroons rooted in justice and cultural pride.
His rise was meteoric. Abendong became the youngest Secretary General of the Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP), the political engine that guided Southern Cameroons through its transition from British trusteeship. However, the 1961 reunification with French Cameroon, sold to the people as a federation of equals, was a deception. It lacked a binding treaty, and it quickly became a tool for assimilation, not unity.
Abendong and his generation believed in federalism, not annexation. They envisioned a Cameroon where Southern Cameroons would retain its legal system, educational heritage, and administrative autonomy.
But that dream was crushed. In 1963, Abendong was assassinated, a brutal silencing of a voice that dared to speak for Southern Cameroons. His death was not just a tragedy; it was a warning. The central government had begun its campaign to erase Southern Cameroons’ identity and dismantle its institutions. Abendong Zacharia Akonung as a symbol of Southern Cameroons’ independence and resistance to assimilation by La République du Cameroun: Today, Abendong’s legacy is more than historical; it is revolutionary.
He is a symbol of resistance: Abendong’s assassination marked the beginning of a long betrayal. His memory fuels the fire of those who reject the false narrative of unity imposed by La République du Cameroun.
He represents the stolen future: A brilliant mind, a visionary leader, whose potential was extinguished before it could challenge the system. His story reminds us of what Southern Cameroons could have become.
He inspires the movement for restoration: In the heart of Ambazonian activism, Abendong is invoked as a martyr. His life is proof that our struggle is not new; it is the continuation of a dream interrupted.
Abendong Zacharia Akonung is not just a name in history books. He is the embodiment of Southern Cameroons’ right to exist, to govern itself, and to reclaim its stolen sovereignty. His voice may have been silenced, but his message echoes louder than ever: Southern Cameroons was never meant to be absorbed; it was meant to stand free.
And as we march forward towards the total freedom of the Southern Cameroons, we carry his torch. We remember the road denied. We honor the voices that were buried. And we declare, with unwavering conviction, that Southern Cameroons will rise again.
NB: Anyone singing the name Abendong or who was named after Zachariah Abendong, and supporting the very la République du Cameroun that assassinated him and his dream for a free and self-governing Southern Cameroons, is a traitor to the memory of the late trailblazer Zachariah Akonung Abendong
THE FIGHT FOR THE TOTAL FREE
DOM OF THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS AKA AMBAZONIA
