Cyrille Atonfack Guemo, head of the communication division at the Ministry of Defence, marked 10 years since the start of the Anglophone crisis by describing the separatist cause as an imposture, in an editorial broadcast on 17 October 2026.
In the text, titled "October 2016 – October 2026, forte resilience securitaire du Cameroun", Atonfack Guemo argued that the armed movement that emerged from the 2016 protests by lawyers and teachers was not spontaneous. He said its structure, hierarchy, training and equipment required years of preparation and support networks. He accused separatist fighters of pillaging resources, kidnapping for ransom, destroying health centres and schools, and driving residents from their land.
He also said the groups punish dissent, and cited the killing of figures who had called for fighters to lay down arms. The editorial did not present documentary evidence for its assertions.
Atonfack Guemo holds a communications post at the ministry and spoke in an editorial broadcast on state radio. The remarks came a decade after the 2016 protests that opened the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions.