Simon Emile Mooh, the DO of Mezam Division took a decision on September 27th 2022 to ban all undeclared public meetings and demonstrations as from October 1st.

The administrative authority does not justify this decision, but for many observers, it is linked to the approach of the October 1st. This is indeed the date that separatists have chosen as a day to celebrate the independence of “Ambazonia”, a fictitious state they are trying to create through the reunion of the Northwest and Southwest regions. This ambition has led, since 2017, to an armed conflict between the state defence forces and separatist militias, which has already resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and more than a million displaced persons according to the UN.

Thus, every October 1, the independentists try to mark this day by raising flags of “Ambazonia” in the cities of the above-mentioned regions.

As a reminder, it was on October 1st that English-speaking Cameroon and French-speaking Cameroon were reunited after having been administered separately for more than 40 years by the tutelary powers of France and England. This reunification has often been perceived by the Anglophone side as a political deception.