Ambazonia
In 2016 and 2017, a demonstration was met with a violent government repression, which resulted in riots and violence against the security forces and, in 2017, a one-sided declaration of independence by the Ambazonian leadership. The violence escalated into guerrilla warfare and, since 2021, clashes have continued, with population centres and strategic locations largely controlled by the government engaged in counterinsurgency actions, while large parts of more isolated rural areas are controlled by the separatists and used to launch guerrilla attacks. Ambazonian forces have found it difficult to form a united front, and internal conflicts have obstructed efforts to negotiate with Cameroon or to establish control over the various militias involved in the war. Ongoing violence has led to widely reported human rights abuses by both sides, including indiscriminate killing of civilians, torture, rape and gender-based crimes, and unjustified detentions and kidnappings.