Ivo Mbah

Ivo Mbah (died 21 December 2018) was an Ambazonian general who fought in the Anglophone Crisis. Reportedly one of the first separatists to go to war against Cameroonian authorities, he fought for more than a year before he was killed in combat with the Cameroonian Armed Forces.[1]

Ivo Mbah
DiedDecember 21, 2018
Teke, Kumba, Southern Cameroons
Allegiance Ambazonia
Service/branchAmbazonia Defence Forces
Years of service2017–2018
RankGeneral
Battles/warsAnglophone Crisis

Biography

Recruited by a man who went by the nom de guerre "General Divine",[2] Ivo Mbah was one of the first Ambazonia Defence Forces members,[3] and was popular among his fellow separatists.[4] His followers reportedly believed that he possessed "mystical powers", and Mbah worked with these beliefs, stating in propaganda videos that "no man born of a woman could kill him".[5] According to the Cameroonian military, he commanded more than 30 ADF camps throughout the Anglophone region by 2018.[3]

Death

In the morning on December 21, 2018, Ivo went to Teke, a locality in Kumba, to be present during his driver's wedding. According to the Cameroonian military, his attendance was leaked to the Cameroonian Army, and special forces moved in to assassinate the general. Dressed in civilian clothing, the soldiers moved in to with the intent of capturing the general alive, but a firefight broke out when separatist fighters recognized the soldiers. Ivo took refuge inside a building, where the soldiers pursued him. After an intense fight that involved close combat, the general was killed. Minutes after his death, pictures and videos of his dead body were published on social media.[5] Other sources have stated that Mbah was killed by a local anti-separatist vigilante group[3] or by a rival separatist force.[5]

Impact and legacy

The killing of Ivo was a significant achievement for the Cameroonian government forces, and a blow to the morale of the separatists. However, the assassination was not a complete success story for the Cameroonian government; the plan had been for Ivo to be captured alive, and use him for intelligence gathering. Instead, he died without giving up any information. The killing also had a detrimental effect for the recently-formed disarmament and reintegration programme.[5]

Several separatist leaders wrote tributes to the general. Ayaba Cho Lucas described him as "the finest and bravest that Ambazonia could hope for". Samuel Ikome Sako, Acting President of the Interim Government of Ambazonia, wrote that he personally admired Ivo for his bravery, and that his death was a great loss to the nation.[4][6]

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References
  1. Cameroon: ‘Ambazonia General’ killed in Kumba, Journal du Cameroun, Dec 21, 2018. Accessed Dec 21, 2018.
  2. Cameroon:’Ambazonia General’ killed by peers in SW Region, Journal du Cameroun, Jan 6, 2020. Accessed Jan 6, 2020.
  3. Cameroon says armed separatist commander among 4 killed in troubled Anglophone zone, Xinhuanet, Dec 21, 2018. Accessed Mar 11, 2019.
  4. Hanson NCHANJI (21 December 2018). "Armed Struggle In NW, SW: ADF's General Ivo Murdered, In-house Fighting Intensifies". Cameroon News Agency. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  5. The Rise And Fall Of General Ivo And Its Implications On Gov’t Disarmament, Ambazonia Projects, The National Times, Dec 22, 2018. Accessed Dec 25, 2018.
  6. "Opinion: Ambazonia 'Acting President' Says General Ivo Died A Hero". Cameroon News Agency. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
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