Cameroon: The Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), including its situation, activities, areas of operation, structure and leadership; treatment of members by authorities; membership card (2024−April 2026)
Information on the SCNC, particularly on its activities between 2024 and April 2026, the treatment of its members by the authorities and its membership card, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response, while information on its structure and samples of the group's membership card could not be found.
1. Situation of the SCNC
Sources describe the SCNC as a [secessionist (Timngum 2025-09, 3; France 2024-06-18)] group advocating the independence of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon (Advocate 2026-04-15; Timngum 2025-09, 3; France 2024-06-18, 3). For information on this organization, its objectives, its ban by the Cameroonian authorities in January 2017, and its activities until June 2018, see Response to Information Request CMR106136 of June 2018.
The SCNC was banned by the Cameroonian government in January 2017 (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2026, 9; Political Handbook of the World 2025, 38). According to Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) 2026, which "assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of governance in 137 countries," the Cameroonian government invoked an anti-terror bill in the case (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2026, 2, 9). In an article on international refugee law and the principle of non-refoulement, Julius Toh Timngum, an academic with a doctorate in international law, states that the SCNC was labelled a "terrorist organization" at that point (Timngum 2025-09, 3).
[In October 2017 (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2026, 6; GI-TOC & ACLED 2024-09, 10)], separatists declared the ["symbolic" (Africanews 2018-02-11)] independence of Ambazonia (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2026, 6; de Natal 2024-07-09; GI-TOC & ACLED 2024-09, 10). Ambazonia (or Federal Republic of Ambazonia) is the name given by Anglophone separatists to Cameroon's Anglophone region (GI-TOC & ACLED 2024-09, 5; Koungou 2018, 103). Sources indicate that the separatists were led by Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe (also known as Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and Sisiku Ayuk Tabe), the leader of the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front (SCACUF) (de Natal 2024-07-09; France 2024-06-14, 18). Some sources describe him as having been the leader of the SCNC at the time (Timngum 2025-09, 3; Africanews [2019-08-20]).
Sources report that the government of Cameroon's [[GI-TOC & ACLED English version] "harsh" (GI-TOC & ACLED 2024-09, 10)] response to the symbolic proclamation of independence of the Anglophone region led to ["[m]ore than" 20 (Amnesty International 2018-06-12, 11)] deaths and the arrest of hundreds of separatists (Amnesty International 2018-06-12, 10–11; Africanews 2018-02-11).
According to sources, following those events, Ayuk Tabe [and SCNC members (Timngum 2025-09, 3)] sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including in Nigeria (de Natal 2024-07-09; Timngum 2025-09, 3).
In November 2017, according to the pan-African media outlet Africanews, or in January 2018, according to the Political Handbook of the World 2024–2025, Cameroonian authorities issued international arrest warrants for over a dozen separatist leaders, including key members of the SCNC (Africanews [2019-08-20]; Political Handbook of the World 2025, 38). Media sources report that Ayuk Tabe was part of that group (Africanews [2019-08-20]; BBC 2017-11-09). Sources further report that in 2018, Anglophone separatists, including SCNC members, were arrested in Nigeria and extradited to Cameroon (Timngum 2025-09, 3; Political Handbook of the World 2025, 38). According to sources, 47 individuals were extradited (AFP 2019-03-03; Political Handbook of the World 2025, 38; Africanews 2018-02-11). Ayuk Tabe was among them (de Natal 2024-07-09; AFP 2019-03-03; Africanews 2018-02-11). Nfor Ngala Nfor, the Chair of the SCNC, was also part of that group, according to the Political Handbook of the World (2025, 38).
Some of these individuals were subsequently tried in military court in Yaoundé (Lawyer 2026-04-14; Actu Cameroun 2026-03-19; Africanews [2019-08-20]). In 2019, they were found guilty of "secession" and "terrorism" (CameroonOnline.org 2026-03-19; Actu Cameroun 2026-03-19; Africanews [2019-08-20]). Of these individuals, 10 were sentenced to life in prison, including Ayuk Tabe (BBC 2019-08-20; Africanews [2019-08-20]; France 2024-06-18, 4). Sources report that Nfor Ngala Nfor also received a life sentence (Lawyer 2026-04-14; France 2024-06-18, 4) alongside Ayuk Tabe and the others co-accused (France 2024-06-18, 4).
According to a [translation] "specialist on the situation in Cameroon" interviewed by France's Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides, OFPRA) for a 2024 report on the SCNC, "the SCNC has disbanded in Cameroon" (France 2024-06-18, 5). According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) [1] and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project [2],
[GI-TOC & ACLED English version]
[a]s with many of the Anglophone political movements, the remnants of the SCNC were marked by splits and divisions … . Political groups developed in competition, aiming to become the sole representative of the Anglophone separatist cause. The two most prominent were the Interim Government of Ambazonia (IG) and the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGC or AGovC). (GI-TOC & ACLED 2024-09, 10)
The specialist on Cameroon interviewed by OFPRA likewise stated that the SCNC [translation] "has been replaced by small, autonomous separatist groups that nevertheless share the organization's political orientation" (France 2024-06-18, 5). Other sources consulted by OFPRA for a report on the security situation in Cameroon's Anglophone regions in 2023 indicated, for example, that former SCNC leaders joined Ayuk Tabe's Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front after the proclamation of Ambazonia's independence in October 2017 (France 2024-06-14, 18). The abstract of OFPRA's report on the SCNC states that [OFPRA English version] "[t]he movement appears to have been dormant since it joined the Federal Republic of Ambazonia" (France 2024-06-18, 2). Citing a [translation] "researcher specializing in the political and security situation in Cameroon," OFPRA notes that
[translation]
in 2018, the SCNC was of the view that the Ambazonian government could speak on behalf of the Anglophone population and had the authority to negotiate or exert pressure at the national and international levels for the independence of Anglophone Cameroon or the renegotiation of the union between the Anglophone and Francophone regions. (France 2024-06-18, 3)
Nevertheless, the same researcher interviewed by OFPRA provided the information contained in the following paragraph regarding the continued existence of the SCNC in Cameroon:
[translation] "[A]lthough it is still banned under Cameroonian law, [the SCNC] continues to exist both politically and socially." Furthermore, even though it has "joined forces with other organizations," such as the Southern Cameroons Civil Society Consortium formed in 2017 and the Interim Government of Ambazonia, the SCNC and its leader Nfor Ngala Nfor have maintained their "independence." Lastly, there are still "active [SCNC] activists" in Cameroon (France 2024-06-18, 3, 5).
In April 2026 correspondence with the Research Directorate, sources in Cameroon similarly stated that the SCNC is "still active" in the country (Advocate 2026-04-15; lawyer 2026-04-14). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a Cameroonian lawyer working in international law referred to the SCNC as having an "underground" presence (Lawyer 2026-04-14). Similarly, the researcher interviewed by OFPRA referred to [translation] "older" activists who "will claim affiliation with the SCNC if they feel safe with the person they are speaking with, whereas others generally remain silent for fear of reprisals" (France 2024-06-18, 5). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a human rights advocate with Human Is Right Cameroon, an NGO that promotes and protects human rights in Cameroon, stated that the SCNC's presence is "virtual" and that "it is difficult to identify a particular office or physical location where they operate," because "the government has been tracking them down for a very long time" and seeks to "put an end to their activities" (Advocate 2026-04-15).
The Cameroonian lawyer mentioned an "elaborate underground network" [see section 2 of this Response] (Lawyer 2026-04-14).
2. Activities and Area of Operations
According to the human rights advocate in Cameroon, the SCNC is "more present on social media platforms, sensitizing the Anglophone community in Cameroon and abroad on the need to return to the old federal system of government that existed before the reunification" (Advocate 2026-04-15).
However, the researcher consulted by OFPRA reported that [translation] "meetings are still held and that the logistics for helping comrades escape or contacting detainees in Yaoundé are still in place" (France 2024-06-18, 5). According to the same source, [translation] "activists in Cameroon continue to send correspondence and petitions out of the country" and "for many years, Cameroonians in exile have been able to leave Anglophone Cameroon with the help of the SCNC" (France 2024-06-18, 5). The Cameroonian lawyer similarly stated the following:
[The SCNC] has an elaborate underground network which with the support of the diaspora community in Europe, America, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and many [other] countries, [organizes] … ghost town [days], civil disobedience, [and] support networks, provid[ing] intelligence for civil protections, military operations in civilian settlements, and individual and collective escape for safety. (Lawyer 2026-04-14)
In its 2024 report, OFPRA indicates that in [translation] "review[ing] several SCNC pages and social media profiles," it found "local activities (protests, meetings, fundraisers) being organized outside Cameroon" (France 2024-06-18, 5).
The researcher consulted by OFPRA mentioned SCNC branches in the UK and the US, as well as in Nigeria, South Africa and Europe (France 2024-06-18, 5). According to the human rights advocate in Cameroon, some SCNC leaders are located in Nigeria and others in Europe and the US (Advocate 2026-04-15).
According to OFPRA, [translation] "SCNC supporters in the UK appear to be active both on social media and on the ground, as they post numerous videos of their rallies, protests and meetings" (France 2024-06-18, 5). As of April 2026, the SCNC – UK has an active Facebook account (SCNC – UK n.d.a) and a website (SCNC – UK n.d.b).
Without providing further details, the Cameroonian lawyer stated that "the SCNC is active worldwide" and operates in an "international context" (Lawyer 2026-04-14).
3. Leaders
Sources report that it is difficult to know who is at the helm of the SCNC as of 2026 (Advocate 2026-04-15) and 2024 (France 2024-06-18, 4). The OFPRA report states that [translation] "[t]he few public sources of information—whether from the media or academia—that address this topic have been contradictory as to the identity of the SCNC's leader since 2018" (France 2024-06-18, 4). According to the same source, the multitude of websites claiming to be official sites [translation] "of the self-proclaimed authorities of Ambazonia" make it difficult to identify the leaders of this movement, as well as the SCNC's role within it and its leader (France 2024-06-18, 4). According to the human rights advocate in Cameroon, it is difficult to know who the leaders are because "most of them were arrested" and are in prison in Yaoundé, while others are in exile (Advocate 2026-04-15).
The 2024–2025 edition of the Political Handbook of the World provides a list of SCNC leaders, without specifying any dates:
- Frederick Ebong Alobwede (National Chair of the SCNC and President of the Federal Republic of the Southern Cameroons)
- Nfor Ngala Nfor (SCNC National Vice Chair)
- Henry Fossung (Chair of the SCAPO-Ambazonia faction [3])
- Augustine Ndangam (Vice Chair of the SCAPO-Ambazonia faction)
- Hitler Mbinglo (Chair of the Northern Zone)
- James Sabum (Secretary General) (2025, 38).
According to the researcher and a 2021 SCNC – UK Facebook post, both consulted by OFPRA, Nfor Ngala Nfor [translation] "was still SCNC Chair despite his arrest in 2018 and his life sentence in 2019" (France 2024-06-18, 4). The Cameroonian lawyer stated in April 2026 that the "current" leader of the SCNC was Nfor Ngala Nfor (Lawyer 2026-04-14).
Sources identify Robert Tamanji [Tamamnji] as Chair of the SCNC's UK chapter (SCNC – UK 2025-11-06; France 2024-06-18, 5).
For the North American branch of the SCNC, sources identify Elvis Kometa as leader (Lawyer 2026-04-14) or Vice President (The Sun 2022-10-19).
4. Treatment of Members by the Authorities
The Cameroonian lawyer stated the following:
The Cameroon government has a vicious security network in its diplomatic missions, infiltrated paid agents and criminal operatives who harass, attack, abduct and rendition SCNC and other Southern Cameroons activists to Cameroon (Lawyer 2026-04-14).
Media sources from March 2026 report that Cameroon's Supreme Court decided to overturn the military tribunal's verdict sentencing 10 separatist leaders to life in prison [see section 1 of this Response] (Actu Cameroun 2026-03-19; RFI 2026-03-19). According to Radio France internationale (RFI), the case might be appealed before the Centre Region's Court of Appeal for a new hearing (RFI 2026-03-19).
5. Membership Cards
For information on the SCNC membership card up until 2021, see Response to Information Request CMR200612 of October 2021.
According to the specialist on the situation in Cameroon interviewed by OFPRA in April 2024, the SCNC no longer issues membership cards in Cameroon, given its illegal status and the risks to people found to be in possession of such a card (France 2024-06-18, 6).
In contrast, local sources interviewed by the Research Directorate indicated that the SCNC does still issue cards (Advocate 2026-04-15; lawyer 2026-04-14); however, the lawyer specified that they are issued to meet "local security needs" and "technological challenges," which "makes uniformity difficult" (Lawyer 2026-04-14).
The same source noted that "in all cases, the emblem and motto of the SCNC must appear" on the card (Lawyer 2026-04-14). The SCNC's motto is "'The force of argument, not the argument of force'" (UNPO 2018-09-10). The Cameroonian human rights advocate stated that the card bears the SCNC's name and initials, a map of the Southern Cameroons and the symbolic flag of the Southern Cameroons, the cardholder's name and "other information concerning the organization and the member" (Advocate 2026-04-15).
The specialist on the situation in Cameroon consulted by OFPRA also noted that cards are available outside of the country, but did not specify where (France 2024-06-18, 6). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Notes
[1] The GI-TOC is an "independent civil-society organization, headquartered in Geneva" (GI-TOC n.d.).[back]
[2] ACLED is a US-based non-profit organization that collects data on conflict and protest around the world (ACLED n.d.).[back]
[3] The Southern Cameroons People's Organization (SCAPO) is "a faction of the SCNC" (CamerounWeb 2015-04-18).[back]
References
Actu Cameroun. 2026-03-19. Marturin Atcha. "Crise anglophone : la Cour suprême annule la condamnation à perpétuité de Sisiku Ayuk Tabe et coaccusés." [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Africanews. [2019-08-20] (updated 2024-08-13). Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban. "Cameroon Secessionist Leaders Jailed for Life by Military Court." [Accessed 2026-04-29]
Africanews. 2018-02-11. "Cameroon's New Separatist Leader Declares 'Era of Self Defense'." [Accessed 2026-04-29]
Agence France-Presse (AFP). 2019-03-03. "Nigeria Court Says Extradition of Cameroon Separatists 'Illegal'." [Accessed 2026-05-05]
Amnesty International. 2018-06-12. Une tournure tragique : violence et atteintes aux droits humains dans les régions anglophones du Cameroun. (AFR 17/8481/2018) [Accessed 2026-05-05]
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). N.d. "About ACLED." [Accessed 2026-05-07]
Bertelsmann Stiftung. 2026. "Cameroon Country Report." Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) 2026. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 2019-08-20. "Cameroon Crisis: Ambazonia Separatists Get Life Sentences." [Accessed 2026-05-05]
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 2017-11-09. "Cameroon Issues Arrest Warrants for Separatist Leaders." [Accessed 2026-04-28]
CameroonOnline.org. 2026-03-19. "Cameroon: Separatist Leaders' Life Sentences Overturned – A Major Shift in the Anglophone Crisis?" [Accessed 2026-04-28]
CamerounWeb. 2015-04-18. "Govt Accused of Bribery in Anglophone Case." [Accessed 2026-05-08]
de Natal, Frédéric. 2024-07-09. "L'Ambazonie, un conflit oublié de tous en Afrique." Conflits : revue de géopolitique. [Accessed 2026-04-29]
France. 2024-06-18. Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides (OFPRA). Cameroun : le Southern Cameroons National Council depuis 2018. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
France. 2024-06-14. Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides (OFPRA). Cameroun : point de situation sécuritaire de janvier à décembre 2023. Focus sur les régions anglophones du Nord-Ouest et du Sud-Ouest et sur celle de l'Extrême-Nord. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) & Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). 2024-09. Ladd Serwat & Eleanor Beevor. Séparatistes anglophones. Groupes armés non-étatiques et économies illicites en Afrique de l'Ouest. No. 3. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). N.d. "Our Story." [Accessed 2026-05-07]
Human Rights Advocate (Advocate), Human Is Right Cameroon. 2026-04-15. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Koungou, Léon. 2018. "L'Ambazonie : l''État' catalyseur du mal-être de l'anglophone au Cameroun." Revue défense nationale. No. 809. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Lawyer. 2026-04-14. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Political Handbook of the World 2024-2025. 2025. "Cameroon." Edited by Tom Lansford. Thousand Oaks: CQ Press. [Accessed 2026-04-10]
Radio France internationale (RFI). 2026-03-19. "Cameroun : le verdict contre Ayuk Tabe et d'autres séparatistes cassé par la Cour suprême." [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Southern Cameroons National Council UK (SCNC – UK). 2025-10-06. "To Our Resilient Ambazonia Family and Friends in the UK." Facebook. [Accessed 2026-04-27]
Southern Cameroons National Council UK (SCNC – UK). N.d.a. "SCNC-Southern Cameroons National Council UK." Facebook. [Accessed 2026-04-28]
Southern Cameroons National Council UK (SCNC – UK). N.d.b. Homepage. [Accessed 2026-04-14]
The Sun. 2022-10-19. Ernstine Ngum. "Armed Conflict in NW, SW: Gov't Targeting Family Members of Diaspora Anglophone Activists." [Accessed 2026-05-08]
Timngum, Julius Toh. 2025-09. "International Refugee Law and the Principle of Non Refoulement: Revisiting the Case of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe1 and Co Vs the People of Cameroon." Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London. RLI Working Paper No. 80. [Accessed 2026-04-14]
Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization (UNPO). 2018-09-10. "Timeline: Unfolding of the Independence Movement in Ambazonia." [Accessed 2026-04-30]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Law firms in Cameroon; Southern Cameroons National Council UK.
Internet sites: Asylos; Austrian Red Cross − ecoi.net; Belgium – Commissariat général aux réfugiés et aux apatrides; Camer.be; Deutsche Welle; EU – EU Agency for Asylum; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; Norway – Landinfo; Reuters; Swiss Refugee Council; U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.