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Lekeaka Oliver

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Lekeaka Oliver
Lekeaka Oliver posing with two rifles in his ad hoc military uniform
Lekeaka Oliver c. 2019
Nickname(s)"King of Ambazonia"[1]
BornDecember 1968[2]
Died12 July 2022[1]
Menji, Cameroon
Allegiance Ambazonia
Service / branchRed Dragon
Years of service2017–2022
RankField Marshall[a]
Self-proclaimed Paramount Ruler of Lebialem[4]
Battles / warsAnglophone Crisis

Lekeaka Oliver,[b] popularly known as Field Marshall, was a Cameroonian army soldier[2] and later an Ambazonian separatist commander and the leader of the Red Dragon militia. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured Ambazonia Self-Defence Council, and is loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia.[5] The Red Dragon is mainly active in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region.[3] Oliver was the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government.[6] Throughout his time as a separatist leader, Cameroonian forces erroneously reported that he had been killed three times. He was killed on 12 July 2022, though it remains unclear whether he was killed by Cameroonian forces or in an incident of separatist infighting.[7]

Biography

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Early life and insurgency

[edit]

Oliver was born to Grace Mafuatem in Azi in December 1968. According to relatives, he was an "obedient boy", but did not complete school due to poor grades. Oliver eventually went on to join the Cameroonian army,[2] becoming part of the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR).[8] In contrast, his brother Chris Anu started to work as a computer engineer in the United States.[2]

With the outbreak of the Anglophone Crisis in September 2017, Oliver deserted his position in the army and joined the separatist side,[9] being the first militant to attack military positions in the Southwest Region.[8] A capable commander,[10] he eventually became the most powerful warlord in the Lebialem Division. Owing partly to the topography of Lebialem, the division became a key battleground of the war, with the Cameroon Armed Forces facing a tough fight against the separatists there. As a result, Oliver became a prominent general on the separatist side as well as a prioritized target by Cameroon.[9] Journal du Cameroun Nana Kamsukom journalist described him as the Cameroonian army's bête noire.[8] His brother also joined the separatists as spokesperson and political coordinator.[2]

On December 31, 2018, Cameroon claimed to have killed Oliver. These reports were proven false when Oliver appeared in a video a week later.[11] In August 2019, his mother and sister were arrested in Yaoundé. The authorities claimed that they had hidden away ransom money made by the Red Dragon militia from taking hostages. The lawyers claimed that they had lost contact with Oliver. The commander also stated that the government had imprisoned his best friend and his wife.[2] Oliver's mother was released in November 20, while his sister was transferred to Kondengui Central Prison.[12]

Lekeaka Oliver, enthroned as self-proclaimed monarch of Lebialem[13]

On October 1, 2019, having chased out the traditional rulers of Lebialem, Oliver declared himself "Paramount Ruler"[4] or "King" of Lebialem, and even posed for a photo dressed in clothing akin to that worn by local traditional rulers.[13] This act caused outrage both among Cameroonian loyalists as well as other rebels, with one Ambazonian spokesman, Tapang Ivo Tanku, calling it an "excessive abuse of power and the rape of culture".[13] Oliver's self-proclamation as monarch also prompted Cameroonian raids into the area to capture or kill him. While unsuccessful in finding Oliver, the raids led to casualties on both sides.[4] When the Ambazonian leadership crisis erupted in the same year, Oliver's militia pledged loyalty to Samuel Ikome Sako's Interim Government.[10][14] At some point, Oliver rose to leader of the entire Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (by then better known as "Ambazonia Restoration Forces").[14] At the peak of his power, the Red Dragon militia numbered hundreds of members. Oliver even presented his group as being the largest active separatist militia.[8] The New Humanitarian researcher R. Maxwell Bone described him as the "main military asset" of the Sako loyalists.[10] However, as conflicts among the rebels grew, Oliver was increasingly criticized by anti-Sako separatists such as the prominent activist Mark Bareta.[15]

Decline of the Red Dragons, and death

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See also: Ambazonian leadership crisis

In January 2022, the Ambazonia Restoration Forces began to fracture as conflicts erupted among its members. Several commanders of the umbrella group, including General No Pity and General Mad Dog, started to clash with other members of the coalition.[16] The internal struggles further escalated in February 2022, as the Interim Government splintered when its leader Samuel Ikome Sako was impeached. General Mad Dog subsequently began attacking the forces of Oliver.[14][c] In the following weeks, the position of the Red Dragons greatly declined, with the group being reduced to about 30 fighters according to Bareta News[17] or just a "few supporters" according to Journal du Cameroun.[8] At some point, Oliver was reportedly wounded in combat, and went into hiding[1] in Nigeria or Lebialem.[8]

Cameroonian security forces including the BIR reportedly located Oliver in Menji, and organized a raid on 12 July 2022. According to the Cameroonian government, Oliver and one of his guards were killed during the attack, while the remaining Red Dragons fled. Photos of a corpse were subsequently published which appeared to match Oliver. News websites Cameroun Web and Cameroon Info cautioned that Oliver had been declared dead three times before this raid, making some separatists question his death.[1][18] However, separatists later confirmed his death; according to his brother Chris Anu, Oliver was killed by an insider who had then tipped off Cameroonian forces about the location of the corpse.[7] The Cameroonian government subsequently displayed Oliver's corpse to the public to "deter the rebels and warn youth against joining their cause".[19]

Notes

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  1. ^ Oliver was known as "Field Marshall" both in the media and among fellow separatists. This rank, which became not only his claimed rank but also his nickname, is usually a very senior rank reserved for five-star generals with extraordinary wartime achievements. Given the nature of the Ambazonian separatist guerillas (see list of militant groups), with his own Red Dragon militia having an estimated 200 fighters as of May 2019, this is not a rank that anyone in any modern national armed forces would be appointed to mere two years into their military service.[3]
  2. ^ While one source claims that his real name was Leke Olivier Fongunueh, spelling varies widely in the media.[2]
  3. ^ Oliver's brother Chris Anu joined the anti-Sako faction led by Marianta Njomia.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Crise Anglophone : voici comment l'armée camerounaise a neutralisé Field Marshall". Cameroun Web. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Cameroon: Secessionist leader returns to challenge Yaoundé, The African Report, Nov 15, 2019. Accessed Nov 22, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks?, Crisis Group, May 2, 2019. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Cameroon Separatist Fighter Names Himself 'King' of Southwest District, Voice of America, Oct 21, 2019. Accessed Oct 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers – the rebels fighting for independence, BBC, Oct 4, 2018. Accessed Oct 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Cameroon: Detained mother, sister of Ambazonia leader to appear in court, Journal du Cameroun, Sep 9, 2019. Accessed Nov 18, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "War in Anglophone regions: Chris Anu officially announces death of brother, Oliver Lekeaka". Cameroon News Agency. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Nana Kamsukom (14 July 2022). "Cameroon: Death of Reputed Separatist Militia leader Field Marshall Questioned by Army". Journal du Cameroun. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b Cameroon: ‘Ambazonia General’ killed in Lebialem, Journal du Cameroun, Mar 21, 2019. Accessed Nov 18, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c R. Maxwell Bone (8 July 2020). "Ahead of peace talks, a who's who of Cameroon's separatist movements". The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  11. ^ Cameroon: Three gendarmes killed in Mbelenka, Journal du Cameroun, Jan 4, 2018. Accessed Jan 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Crise anglophone : la mère de Chris Anu libérée, sa sœur est transférée à la prison principale de Kondengui, L'Actu Cameroon, Nov 20, 2019. Accessed Nov 30, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Atia T. Azohnwi (8 October 2019). "Cameroon – Anglophone Crisis: Tapang Ivo Stings 'Field Marshal' For "Raping The People's Culture", Imposing Himself 'King Of Lebialem'". Cameroon Info. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Moki Edwin Kindzeka (16 February 2022). "Cameroon's Rival Separatist Groups Clash, Kill Fighters". VOA. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  15. ^ Atia T. Azohnwi (20 April 2020). "Cameroon – Anglophone Crisis: Mark Bareta Fires Field Marshal From Ambazonia Struggle, Says The Self-Styled General Is A Disgrace". Cameroon Info. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Insobu Dies: Why Infighting Keeps Taking Away Ambazonia Best Front Warriors". Cameroon News Agency. 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  17. ^ "The End of the red dragon – Oliver Lekeaka promises to burn down #Lebialem because of Blacklegs". Bareta News. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Cameroun – Crise anglophone: L'armée déclare avoir tué le leader sécessionniste Field Marshall". Cameroon Info. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  19. ^ Moki Edwin Kindzeka (18 July 2022). "Cameroon Displays Separatist Leader's Corpse to Deter Rebels, Recruits". VOA. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
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