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172:. Oliver was the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government. 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.
224:. 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. Oliver's mother was released in November 20, while his sister was transferred to
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other rebels, with one
Ambazonian spokesman, Tapang Ivo Tanku, calling it an "excessive abuse of power and the rape of culture". 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. When the
255:'s Interim Government. At some point, Oliver rose to leader of the entire Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (by then better known as "Ambazonia Restoration Forces"). 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.
246:
On
October 1, 2019, having chased out the traditional rulers of Lebialem, Oliver declared himself "Paramount Ruler" or "King" of Lebialem, and even posed for a photo dressed in clothing akin to that worn by local traditional rulers. This act caused outrage both among Cameroonian loyalists as well as
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cautioned that Oliver had been declared dead three times before this raid, making some separatists question his death. 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
280:
and
General Mad Dog, started to clash with other members of the coalition. 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. In the
300:, 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
261:
researcher R. Maxwell Bone described him as the "main military asset" of the Sako loyalists. However, as conflicts among the rebels grew, Oliver was increasingly criticized by anti-Sako separatists such as the prominent activist Mark Bareta.
185:
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, becoming part of the elite
499:
337:), 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.
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On
December 31, 2018, Cameroon claimed to have killed Oliver. These reports were proven false when Oliver appeared in a video a week later. In August 2019, his mother and sister were arrested in
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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.
329:" 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
276:
In
January 2022, the Ambazonia Restoration Forces began to fracture as conflicts erupted among its members. Several commanders of the umbrella group, including
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the corpse. The
Cameroonian government subsequently displayed Oliver's corpse to the public to "deter the rebels and warn youth against joining their cause".
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in
September 2017, Oliver deserted his position in the army and joined the separatist side, being the first militant to attack military positions in the
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641:"Cameroon â Anglophone Crisis: Tapang Ivo Stings 'Field Marshal' For "Raping The People's Culture", Imposing Himself 'King Of Lebialem'"
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698:"Cameroon â Anglophone Crisis: Mark Bareta Fires Field Marshal From Ambazonia Struggle, Says The Self-Styled General Is A Disgrace"
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following weeks, the position of the Red Dragons greatly declined, with the group being reduced to about 30 fighters according to
201:. A capable commander, he eventually became the most powerful warlord in the Lebialem Division. Owing partly to the topography of
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Crise anglophone : la mĂšre de Chris Anu libĂ©rĂ©e, sa sĆur est transfĂ©rĂ©e Ă la prison principale de Kondengui
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190:(BIR). In contrast, his brother Chris Anu started to work as a computer engineer in the United States.
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with extraordinary wartime achievements. Given the nature of the Ambazonian separatist guerillas (see
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832:
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749:"The End of the red dragon â Oliver Lekeaka promises to burn down #Lebialem because of Blacklegs"
775:"Cameroun â Crise anglophone: L'armĂ©e dĂ©clare avoir tuĂ© le leader sĂ©cessionniste Field Marshall"
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194:
133:
500:"War in Anglophone regions: Chris Anu officially announces death of brother, Oliver Lekeaka"
470:
Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers â the rebels fighting for independence
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534:"Cameroon: Death of Reputed Separatist Militia leader Field Marshall Questioned by Army"
388:"Crise Anglophone : voici comment l'armée camerounaise a neutralisé Field Marshall"
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217:. His brother also joined the separatists as spokesperson and political coordinator.
289:. At some point, Oliver was reportedly wounded in combat, and went into hiding in
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Oliver's brother Chris Anu joined the anti-Sako faction led by Marianta Njomia.
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723:"Insobu Dies: Why Infighting Keeps Taking Away Ambazonia Best Front Warriors"
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Cameroonian security forces including the BIR reportedly located Oliver in
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802:"Cameroon Displays Separatist Leader's Corpse to Deter Rebels, Recruits"
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Cameroon: Detained mother, sister of Ambazonia leader to appear in court
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580:"Ahead of peace talks, a who's who of Cameroon's separatist movements"
458:
Cameroon Separatist Fighter Names Himself 'King' of Southwest District
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230:
68:
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Nana Kamsukom journalist described him as the Cameroonian army's
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erupted in the same year, Oliver's militia pledged loyalty to
205:, the division became a key battleground of the war, with the
563:, Journal du Cameroun, Mar 21, 2019. Accessed Nov 18, 2019.
484:, Journal du Cameroun, Sep 9, 2019. Accessed Nov 18, 2019.
428:, The African Report, Nov 15, 2019. Accessed Nov 22, 2019.
426:
Cameroon: Secessionist leader returns to challenge Yaoundé
672:"Cameroon's Rival Separatist Groups Clash, Kill Fighters"
608:, Journal du Cameroun, Jan 4, 2018. Accessed Jan 4, 2018.
460:, Voice of America, Oct 21, 2019. Accessed Oct 22, 2019.
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156:. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured
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443:, Crisis Group, May 2, 2019. Accessed May 2, 2019.
441:Cameroonâs Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks?
561:Cameroon: âAmbazonia Generalâ killed in Lebialem
346:While one source claims that his real name was
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148:, was a Cameroonian army soldier and later an
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606:Cameroon: Three gendarmes killed in Mbelenka
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152:separatist commander and the leader of the
16:Ambazonian separatist commander (1968â2022)
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472:, BBC, Oct 4, 2018. Accessed Oct 4, 2018.
670:Moki Edwin Kindzeka (16 February 2022).
285:or just a "few supporters" according to
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624:, Nov 20, 2019. Accessed Nov 30, 2019.
350:, spelling varies widely in the media.
266:Decline of the Red Dragons, and death
164:. The Red Dragon is mainly active in
7:
800:Moki Edwin Kindzeka (18 July 2022).
502:. Cameroon News Agency. 18 July 2022
639:Atia T. Azohnwi (8 October 2019).
14:
696:Atia T. Azohnwi (20 April 2020).
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578:R. Maxwell Bone (8 July 2020).
162:Interim Government of Ambazonia
532:Nana Kamsukom (14 July 2022).
158:Ambazonia Self-Defence Council
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235:Lekeaka Oliver, enthroned as
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272:Ambazonian leadership crisis
249:Ambazonian leadership crisis
188:Rapid Intervention Battalion
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193:With the outbreak of the
181:Early life and insurgency
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853:Self-proclaimed monarchy
226:Kondengui Central Prison
335:list of militant groups
237:self-proclaimed monarch
348:Leke Olivier Fongunueh
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160:, and is loyal to the
325:Oliver was known as "
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207:Cameroon Armed Forces
144:, popularly known as
106:Years of service
727:Cameroon News Agency
585:The New Humanitarian
258:The New Humanitarian
538:Journal du Cameroun
287:Journal du Cameroun
211:Journal du Cameroun
122:Paramount Ruler of
50:"King of Ambazonia"
331:five-star generals
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154:Red Dragon militia
848:Ambazonian people
843:Anglophone Crisis
253:Samuel Ikome Sako
195:Anglophone Crisis
166:Lebialem Division
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134:Anglophone Crisis
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781:. 13 July 2022
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25:Lekeaka Oliver
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779:Cameroon Info
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58:December 1968
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809:. Retrieved
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392:Cameroun Web
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130:Battles/wars
66:12 July 2022
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838:2022 deaths
833:1968 births
753:Bareta News
283:Bareta News
47:Nickname(s)
827:Categories
367:References
270:See also:
215:bĂȘte noire
150:Ambazonian
100:Red Dragon
76:Allegiance
71:, Cameroon
176:Biography
109:2017â2022
88:Ambazonia
733:20 April
681:20 April
241:Lebialem
203:Lebialem
124:Lebialem
94:Service/
811:18 June
785:13 July
759:13 July
707:18 July
650:19 July
591:18 July
543:18 July
506:18 July
398:13 July
291:Nigeria
222:Yaoundé
729:. 2022
96:branch
85:
313:Notes
298:Menji
69:Menji
813:2023
787:2022
761:2022
735:2022
709:2022
683:2022
652:2022
593:2022
545:2022
508:2022
400:2022
304:and
114:Rank
63:Died
55:Born
41:2019
806:VOA
676:VOA
239:of
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777:.
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660:^
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629:^
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375:^
228:.
168:,
39:c.
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402:.
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