Cyrille Atonfack Guemo condemns separatist groups for turning liberation claims into exploitation
On the tenth anniversary of the October 2016 anglophone protests, Captain Cyrille Atonfack Guemo, head of communications at Cameroon’s Ministry of Defense, has publicly exposed what he calls the ‘great imposture’ of armed separatist groups. His editorial, October 2016 – October 2026: Cameroon’s Unwavering Security Resilience, dismantles their claim to be fighting for freedom, arguing instead that these factions have systematically weaponized chaos to perpetuate violence, economic sabotage, and extreme hardship for civilians in the Northwest and Southwest regions.
The conflict, which began with peaceful teacher and lawyer demonstrations over linguistic rights, has since spiraled into a decade-long armed insurrection. Guemo’s analysis challenges the narrative of spontaneity, asserting that the separatist movement was meticulously planned and supported by extensive networks, funding, and military capabilities built over years—long before 2016.
From student protests to a decade of systemic violence
Guemo argues that the initial demands of anglophone professionals were hijacked by armed groups aiming not at liberation, but at control. According to his account, the transition from peaceful marches to coordinated armed attacks—often occurring simultaneously across distant towns—reveals deliberate organization. This structure required financing, logistics, and recruitment, all of which point to long-term planning rather than grassroots uprising.
Broken promises: liberation rhetoric versus reality
The promised emancipation has, in Guemo’s view, been exposed as a ruthless tactic to justify violence. He asks: how can a movement claim to liberate people it actively prevents from living? Schools burned down. Health centers destroyed. Farmers and traders barred from their land. Women and girls subjected to sexual violence. Entire communities displaced and forced into makeshift camps. He points to a deliberate strategy of dehumanization—where survival itself becomes a form of surrender.
The cost of this ‘liberation’ is measured in civilian suffering: no healthcare, no education, no livelihoods. Men and women who once thrived in their communities now beg for food in foreign lands. Girls are denied schooling. Health workers are targeted. Markets are looted. Homes are raided. Guemo frames this as a calculated reversal—where claiming freedom means enforcing subjugation under the guise of autonomy.
Freedom of expression under fire
In a chilling paradox, Guemo highlights how the separatists suppress the very freedoms they claim to champion. Dissent is met with death. Leaders calling for dialogue or disarmament are assassinated. Journalists and community figures who criticize the armed groups disappear or are publicly executed. He compares such acts to the brutality of authoritarian regimes, suggesting that separatist rule would be no different—if it ever materialized.
Diaspora’s role: wealth abroad, suffering at home
Guemo also questions the motives of those anglophone Cameroonians living in the diaspora who fund or support the separatist movement. While they invoke the plight of their people, he observes a stark contrast: their children attend elite schools overseas, they live under stable legal systems, and their wealth is shielded. Meanwhile, their supposed beneficiaries remain trapped in violence, poverty, and terror. He labels this hypocrisy, suggesting that for some, the crisis is less about liberation than about personal enrichment through chaos.
He paints a portrait of aspiring warlords—men who do not seek independence but domination, who do not care for their people but feed on their despair, and who cloak their greed in revolutionary slogans. Their goal, he argues, is not to free the region but to consolidate power in a lawless territory, open to exploitation and patronage.
Cameroon’s resilience: standing firm against exploitation
Despite a decade of brutality, Guemo insists that Cameroon has demonstrated remarkable resilience. The state has maintained security, restored access to essential services, and continued national development—even as separatist factions have tried to derail progress. He frames the crisis not as a grassroots struggle but as a coordinated campaign of disruption, orchestrated by a small network of leaders seeking power and profit.
He warns that the separatists’ so-called liberation project is not just a lie—it is a predatory system in which civilians are the primary victims. Their rhetoric, he concludes, is not a call to freedom, but a smokescreen for tyranny. The true patriots, he asserts, are those who resist manipulation, defend the Constitution, and work for inclusive development.
The cost of deception
For civilians caught in the crossfire, the message from Guemo is clear: the separatist movement has long abandoned any pretense of liberation. What remains is a cycle of violence, displacement, and despair—all justified in the name of an impossible dream. The question now is whether Cameroonians will continue to tolerate a conflict driven not by principle, but by predators.
As the tenth anniversary of October 2016 passes, the region stands at a crossroads. Will separatist leaders be seen as liberators—or as exploiters who turned a quest for rights into a bloodstained business? For Guemo, the answer is already written in the suffering of millions.