This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Published on August 20, 2019, by AFP.
Cameroon's military court has dealt a severe blow to the country's anglophone separatist movement, handing down life sentences to its leader, Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and nine of his followers.
The 10 were convicted of charges including terrorism and secession, according to the state's lawyer, Martin Luther Achet.
Ayuk Tabe was the self-proclaimed president of Ambazonia, a breakaway state declared in October 2017 in two English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
The government responded to the declaration with a military crackdown, leading to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of nearly 500,000 people, according to independent monitors.
English-speakers, who make up about a fifth of Cameroon's 24 million population, have long felt marginalized by the francophone majority, particularly in education, law, and economic opportunities.
The government rejected demands for autonomy, leading to the declaration of Ambazonia, which is not recognized internationally.
