Revolutions do not have a closing time.
They do not operate on impatience. Victory will meet us on the battlefield or in our graves. Because for a revolutionary, there is no alternative. If you are not prepared to fight till the end, then you are not a revolutionary. You are probably a fair-weather politician…, the diaspora remains indispensable. Diplomacy is war in suits and ties. We are making meaningful inroads into the right corridors. We are pursuing finishing strategies. This is the most critical phase of our struggle since 1961. So let me be very clear, the home front is alive. That’s why we are here today.
President Sako addresses the Town Hall:
My dear people, fellow Ambazonians at home and in the diaspora, thank you for coming to this special town hall. Tonight, I speak to you not to entertain, not to impress, and not to comfort illusions, but to tell the truth about where we are, how far we have come, and what lies ahead. I called you here today to answer some of your questions, to share understanding, and to tell you things on a need-to-know basis, or simply to encourage us.
Because many are asking, where are we now? What are our chances? What are we doing? When are we going to Buea? Me too, sometimes I want to know, and I ask God, where are we now? No answer. Maybe because that is the wrong question. The correct question should be, what are we going to do more to carry the struggle forward? That one I can answer you.
Like a farmer, I can tell you how much we need to cultivate, but I cannot tell you anything exact about the harvest unless I give you my wishes and expectations, not promises. In 2018, I remember saying, if we could raise $2 million, and if we don’t get to Buea, we’ll at least be able to shorten our journey to Buea. And about 40% of that amount was collected, and unfortunately, managed by a bunch of dishonest, unpatriotic, and disloyal actors.
Then some wicked detractors came swinging, saying that they gave Sako $2 million, he stole the money instead of taking us to Buea, and the chief perpetrators left us and turned against me. You know, despite the spoilers, I’m very proud of what we started doing in 2018, with a few trusted ones we had.
We laid the foundation of the enduring infrastructure of resistance, the counties, the LGAs, and the ARFs, as they used to be known, that later became the ASA that we have today across the 13 counties. Before that, my trip to Buea, we’re just conclave-downtown diaspora noisemakers who still worship the force of argument. We’re just a bunch of sheep that enrolled to track and field with lions.
As we press on, some, out of frustration, have chosen the easier question. If we are not yet in Buea, we should blame it on somebody. And it must be the leader who is still standing.
And so, they say, Sako is not doing enough. He’s not doing anything. Some even go further to say Sako is the worst thing that happened to this struggle.
I can say without equivocation that ours is a culture that reserves the best meals and the best songs for funerals. We say the nicest things about people only after they are no more. That’s bad.
Let me be clear from the start. We are not running a popularity contest. We are not building a social club.
We are leading a revolution to save our country. And revolutions do not move on emotions. They have no deadlines.
And none of us, this does not belong to any of us, you’re not working for me, and I’m not working for you. Resolutions move on three rails. Discipline, endurance, and sacrifice. Some objective reality of the struggle. We are a revolutionary republic, not a democracy. And that’s not a choice we have made.
It is objective reality imposed on us by occupation, by war and repression. Some compare us with the U.S. and the U.K. We are all fighting to get there. We are not yet there.
That’s why I think political elections now are a bad idea. That’s why I think blanket coalitions are extreme naivety. That’s why I believe we should build on trust, not on numbers.
That’s why we think a sane minority is more useful than a confused and compromised majority. Needless to emphasize that revolutions do not have closing times. They do not operate on impatience.
They do not retreat halfway. All revolutions say, in one way or another, a Luta continua. No retreat, no surrender. Until the last man standing. Until we reach Buea. I will never stop my journey halfway.
Until we reach Buea. Until we reach Boya. These are revolutionary mantras.
Victory will meet us on the battlefield or in our graves. Because for a revolutionary, there is no alternative. We don’t have.
If you are not prepared to fight till the end, then you are not a revolutionary. You are probably a fair-weather politician. And that’s not an insult.
It is a textual definition. If the price for our assignment is not our lives, that means we can be discouraged or compromised by anything that threatens our lives. On the state of our government in exile, the government in exile is not losing ground.
We are going through a constant process of filtration and refinement. Every people’s revolution gathers everybody together at the beginning. Then time, truth, shall test our patience, knowledge, sacrifice, integrity, and determination.
The government is reorganizing, mobilizing, and marching forward. We have learned painfully that structure matters, discipline matters, teamwork matters, and clarity of roles matters. We are streamlining institutions, tightening internal controls, and repositioning for the final phase of this struggle.
About governance and structure, one of the reasons for the collective leadership government model is to prevent burnout. Division of labour is not optional. It is necessary.
Commissioners and government officials must remain within their assigned scopes so that no single individual carries the burden of the struggle alone. A tired leader is a liability in the struggle. Iron sharpens iron. Leaders also need help. We assist each other. That’s why we work together.
This year, we have decided to do whatever we can within our limits and let the divine do the rest. We shall not leave any stone unturned unless it does not make sense or we lack the means to turn it. This is not noise-making.
This is not noise-making governance. This is strategic governance. Those who expect daily press conferences, pictures, and social media posts, and constant public announcements, misunderstand the stakes. We are at war. War is not, and is never fought on social media. Liberation is not achieved through photo ops.
The first rule of true diplomacy, when it becomes critical, is confidentiality. I did not learn that in school. I learned it on the job. Professional and cautious public communication is mandatory from this time. Reckless language, hurting comrades, and it shrinks our critical mass. Please, we must correct errors without humiliating people and disagree without destroying feelings.
Time management is also going to be a matter this year. Meetings from now on must start on time, end on time and remain focused on the agenda and end when the recordings end. On the state of the struggle in the diaspora, the diaspora remains indispensable.
We have our eyes on the three court cases in the diaspora, the cases in Kansas City, in Yaoundé, and in Norway, in that order. However, once these are resolved, we will make an official public statement and take further actions where necessary. On the Kansas City 3, once sentencing is concluded on the Kansas City case, a specific fundraiser dedicated solely to the appeal will be scheduled in line with our yearly calendar. But let us be honest, not every activity is a strategy. Not every tip or correspondence is diplomacy. Not every handshake is progress. Real diplomacy is not done in event centers with random friends and strangers. Real diplomacy is not to deceive or hype our people into thinking something has moved when nothing has moved. Diplomacy is war in suits and ties. It is quiet. It is strategic. It is outcome-driven.
Public announcements are not a war strategy. We are making meaningful inroads into the right corridors. We are pursuing finishing strategies. This is the most critical phase of our struggle since 1961. So let me be very clear, the home front is alive. That’s why we are here today.
If the fire dies on the home front, everything has ended. We joined the revolution initially in 2016 to stand by them, not to take over the revolution. So, the real answer to where we are now will be answered by our generals.
Whatever we do in the diaspora, whatever we say online, whatever documents we produce, is only supportive. None of it matters if the resistance on the ground dies. We have better and stronger organizations now on the ground.
That’s a fact. I encourage county coordinators and executives to replicate what the Home Affairs Commission is doing by visiting and remobilizing their local government areas. The strength of this struggle has always been grassroots, or grassroots-driven.
And concerning the humanitarian draft this year, 2026, that’s why I’ve decided to be the first to launch our humanitarian draft this year and today. On the calendar, 2026, for the draft of 2026, we’ll operate strictly on the yearly program calendar. The federal draft launch is scheduled for March 14, 2026, and that date is firm.
No fundraising outside the approved calendar will be tolerated. The Finance and Resource Mobilization Commission must liaise with my office before authorizing any fundraising activity. This is to prevent fatigue and protect our people.
The draft will run on two fronts, federal and county, and it will be enforced with discipline. Mobilization and remobilization in 2026 must be inside-in or outside-in. Those already committed need less mobilization than those misled by lies and fear.
We remain the biggest tent. Let 2026 be a year of outreach and re-engagement. We have to revive our country cells and appoint our country envoys.
On the communication and media, the ABC Network 24 radio project has tested well and will soon be launched officially. It is a strategic communication pillar. I encourage comrades to use it actively and to communicate in our lingua franca and local dialects, also for grassroots impact.
Our television and radio are instruments of warfare. On a closing, let me remind us that this struggle is not about a circle. It is not about personalities.
It is not about applause. It is about a people who have refused to disappear. It is about a people whose homeland has been stolen by wicked friends.
We cannot live for nothing. This is our chance to rewrite our story. As long as the fire burns and we keep it burning on the home front, our dream is alive.
The day it dies, everything ends. Let us remember that. That is our primary function.
Let us prepare for the long haul. Let us stand firm. Let us fight intelligently.
Let us finish what we started well. Victory is not optional. God bless our people.
God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Thank you for coming. I’m here for some questions.
Even your own suggestions, we are open to them. This is a town hall. Thank you.
