Tigers of Ambazonia
Leaders
  • Nchia Martin Achuo[1] (also spelled "Ashu")[2]
  • Chia Martin ("Tiger 1")[3]
Dates of operation2017[4] – present
Active regionsManyu and Meme
Ideology
Sizec. 500 (2019)[2]
Part of Ambazonia
Opponents Cameroon
Battles and warsAnglophone Crisis

The Tigers of Ambazonia (TTA),[5] also known as Manyu Tigers[6] or Tigers of Manyu,[7] are an Ambazonian separatist militia. According to its official website, the Tigers recognize the authority of the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The militia is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council.[5][2][8] The Tigers mainly operate in Manyu[2] and Meme.[8]

History

The Tigers were organized in Manyu in the fall of 2017, with between 10 and 30 initial fighters.[4] It was one of many localized armed groups set up during the early civil war,[9][10] attacking military checkpoints.[10] According to the pro-separatist Bareta News, the Tigers emerged in response to the murder of Ekabe Nyongo, a traditional chief in Manyu who had voiced support for the separatist movement. A naked and armed mob of Tigers subsequently stormed Nyongo's funeral, captured a Cameroonian soldier present and forced him to denounce the government, after which the rebels declared another separatist the new local chief. On 14 January 2018, the Cameroonian security forces counter-attacked in an attempt to destroy the Tigers, but the operation provoked further local support for the rebels.[11]

In September 2018, the Tigers claimed responsibility for the Wum prison break.[12] At this point, the militia was part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council,[8] and claimed to have around 2,000 fighters under its command, though this number could not be verified and was likely an exaggeration.[1] The Tigers also cooperated with the larger Ambazonia Defence Forces and SOCADEF.[13]

Presence of Ambazonian militant groups, including the Tigers in gray, by 2023.

By 2019, the International Crisis Group estimated that the Tigers included about 500 militants.[2] By 2020, Cameroon Intelligence Report claimed that the Tigers had become infamous among Cameroonian soldiers and controlled the rural areas around Mamfe. The group reportedly maintained many cells in Manyu, and patrolled the area to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

On 6 November 2023, separatist fighters massacred at least 20 civilians in Egbekaw, near Mamfe.[15][16] Cameroon News Agency attributed the massacre to the Tigers, describing it as a revenge attack due to the locals hiring Nigerian mercenaries who had killed one member of the separatist militia.[17]

Beliefs

The Tigers adhere to militant Ambazonian separatism. In addition, they are inspired to some degree by traditional African religions; the group's name is based on the belief that "some of the Tigers are the ghosts of dead ancestors who have risen from the grave to defend their people".[18] Belief in supernatural protection and influence, called odeshi, is common among Ambazonian militant groups.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 Cameroon separatists free 100 prison inmates before election, Reuters, Sep 27, 2018. Accessed Mar 13, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks?, Crisis Group, May 2, 2019. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ ""They Are Destroying Our Future" Armed Separatist Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools in Cameroon's Anglophone Regions". HRW. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: Dialogue Remains the Only Viable Solution, ReliefWeb, Dec 21, 2017. Accessed Mar 13, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers - the rebels fighting for independence, BBC, Oct 4, 2018. Accessed Oct 4, 2018.
  6. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2019, p. 536.
  7. ↑ "Why Political Power Distribution Escalated Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon?". Susa Africa. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 HRW 2018, pp. 20–21.
  9. ↑ DeLancey, DeLancey & Mbuh 2019, p. 48.
  10. 1 2 Edward McAllister (8 February 2018). "Exclusive - "We are in a war": Cameroon unrest confronted by army offensive". Reuters. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Mark Bareta (17 January 2018). "Revolutionary Forces of Ambazonia Enter Meme County, as Resistant Kwa Kwa Village Comes into Spotlight". Bareta News. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Cameroon separatists free 100 prison inmates before election, Reuters, Sep 28, 2018. Accessed Oct 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ Instability threatens Cameroon presidential elections, Africa News, Sep 19, 2018. Accessed Mar 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ "NOSO: après l'assassinat du maire de Mamfé, voici les prochains sur liste des sécessionnistes". camerounweb.com. Cameroon Intelligence Report. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Local Official: Gunmen Kill at Least 20 in Pre-Dawn Attack in Cameroon". Voice of America. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  16. ↑ "Separatist gunmen kill at least 20 in Cameroon". Al Jazeera. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  17. ↑ "Manyu: More than 30 die in Amba attack". Cameroon News Agency. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  18. ↑ Farouk Chothia (4 October 2018). "Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers - the rebels fighting for independence". BBC. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Federal Republic of Ambazonia: Red Dragons and Tigers – the rebels fighting for independence". Cameroon Intelligence Report. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2023.

Works cited

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