Failed Decolonization of Africa and the Rise of New States: Cartography of the War in Southern Cameroons Ambazonia

Resumo

The decolonization of Africa is widely looked upon as a past event, but the imprints left behind are still making news headlines today. The process has been the root cause of many conflicts across Africa.
Some European colonial powers have maintained control over their colonies using indirect means while some African states have annexed their neighbours. This paper is aimed at examining the decolonization of Southern Cameroon and creating a cartography of the ongoing independence war. To put the analysis in context, similar conflicts across
Africa have been reviewed. Empirical and non-empirical methods including cognitive analysis, crowd sourcing and applied research methods were used to gather information and verify/authenticate facts. Geographic information system and remote sensing were used to collect, analyze, and present damaged structures observed through satellite
images. I found that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 of 14 December 1960 and Resolution 1608 of 21st April 1961 were not implemented as instructed. Some colonized people were refused the right of self-determination causing intractable conflicts with huge loss of lives. In the Southern Cameroons, over 3000 people have been officially declared killed, over 38,000 are refugees in Nigeria and over 1.5 million persons are internally displaced, as of April 2019.

Keywords: Armed Conflict, Cartography, Southern Cameroons, colonialism.